T20 Blast 2026 Quick Links
iWe earn a commission via links on this site at no extra cost to you. Learn moreThe Northamptonshire Steelbacks won the 2026 Men’s Vitality Blast title, and their captain, David Willey, was awarded the overall tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Last updated: July 2026
“Joe Weatherley finished as the tournament’s top run scorer with 591 runs. Hasan Ali retained the Golden Ball with 27 wickets. Northamptonshire Steelbacks completed the double, topping the Central and West Group before beating Hampshire Hawks by 14 runs in the Finals Day final at Edgbaston to win the 2026 title.”
CE Data Team · Senior Cricket EditorEditorial opinion only. Not betting advice.
Vitality T20 Blast: Men’s 2026 guide covering all 18 county teams, group stage format, Finals Day, top players, and UK betting markets. Season started 22 May 2026.
Vitality T20 Blast 2026: Teams, Schedule and Betting Guide
The Vitality Blast (also known as the T20 Blast) is England and Wales’s premier domestic Twenty20 Men’s competition. For confirmed fixture details, tickets, and official tournament regulations, you can check the official England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) portal. All 18 first-class counties compete across three regional groups, with the top teams advancing to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and Finals Day.
The 2026 season got under way on 22 May and runs through to the iconic Finals Day in July. It is the longest-running T20 county competition in the world and draws significant UK betting interest, particularly around outright winner markets and player markets aka player props.
The Vitality Blast also runs a women’s competition across the same counties. See our T20 Blast Women 2026 guide for teams, schedule and betting information.
County Cricket News
Vitality T20 Blast 2026 Teams and Groups
All 18 first-class counties compete across three regional groups: North, Central and West, and South. Each team plays group rivals home and away during the group stages.
North Group
Grounds across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham, and the East Midlands
Derbyshire Falcons
Central Co-op County Ground, Derby
Durham
Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-le-Street
Lancashire Lightning›
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
Leicestershire Foxes
Uptonsteel Grace Road, Leicester
Nottinghamshire Outlaws
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Yorkshire Vikings›
Headingley, Leeds
Central and West Group
Grounds across the Midlands, the West Country, Northamptonshire, and Wales
Glamorgan
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Gloucestershire
Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol
Northamptonshire Steelbacks›
cinch County Ground, Northampton
Somerset›
Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Warwickshire Bears
Edgbaston, Birmingham
Worcestershire Rapids
New Road, Worcester
South Group
Grounds across London, the South East, and East Anglia
Essex Eagles
Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford
Hampshire Hawks
Utilita Bowl, Southampton
Kent Spitfires
St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury
Middlesex
Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
Surrey›
The Kia Oval, London
Sussex Sharks
1st Central County Ground, Hove
Group assignments and fixture details confirmed by the ECB for the 2026 season.
Vitality T20 Blast 2026 Format and Schedule
Vitality T20 Blast 2026 started: 22 May 2026
Men’s Finals Day at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Saturday 18 July 2026.
22 May
Season started
18
County teams
3
Regional groups
T20
Format
18 July
Finals Day 2026
Each county plays every other team in their regional group home and away during the group stage. The top teams from each group advance to quarter-finals, then semi-finals, with the two semi-final winners meeting on Finals Day at Edgbaston.
The Vitality Blast runs alongside the county championship during May and June before becoming the sole focus of the county calendar as summer progresses. It is broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket in the UK.
For the full match-by-match fixture list, visit the official ECB fixtures page.
T20 Blast 2026 Standings
Phase 1 complete (6 matches per team). Phase 2 resumes 26 June. Top two from each group advance to quarter-finals.
Central and West Group
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northamptonshire Steelbacks | 12 | 9 | 3 | 36 |
| 2 | Somerset CCC | 12 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| 3 | Gloucestershire | 12 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| 4 | Warwickshire Bears | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| 5 | Glamorgan | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| 6 | Worcestershire Rapids | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
Standings after Phase 1 (6 matches). Phase 2 from 26 June.
Group A North
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts Outlaws | 12 | 8 | 4 | 32 |
| 2 | Yorkshire | 12 | 7 | 4 | 30 |
| 3 | Lancashire Lightning | 12 | 6 | 5 | 26 |
| 4 | Durham Cricket | 12 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| 5 | Derbyshire Falcons | 12 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| 6 | Leicestershire Foxes | 12 | 3 | 9 | 12 |
Standings after Phase 1 (6 matches). Phase 2 from 26 June.
Key fixture: Yorkshire vs Lancashire, 10 Jul 18:30. The Roses match with a group place at stake.
Group C South
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hampshire Hawks | 12 | 8 | 4 | 32 |
| 2 | Surrey | 12 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| 3 | Essex | 12 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| 4 | Kent Spitfires | 12 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | Middlesex | 12 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 6 | Sussex Sharks | 12 | 3 | 9 | 10 |
Standings after Phase 1 (6 matches). Phase 2 from 26 June.
2026 Player Stats: Phase 1
Most Runs
| Pos | Player | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Weatherley | Hampshire | 591 |
| 2 | Beau Webster | Warwickshire | 578 |
| 3 | Chris Lynn | Northamptonshire | 518 |
| 4 | James Vince | Hampshire | 511 |
| 5 | George Munsey | Nottinghamshire | 500 |
| 6 | Aneurin Donald | Derbyshire | 489 |
| 7 | Adam Lyth | Yorkshire | 473 |
| 8 | Alex Lees | Durham | 473 |
| 9 | Jason Roy | Surrey | 473 |
| 10 | Liam Livingstone | Lancashire | 456 |
| 11 | D Arcy Short | Derbyshire | 446 |
| 12 | Ricardo Vasconcelos | Northamptonshire | 439 |
| 13 | Daniel Hughes | Sussex | 438 |
| 14 | James Rew | Somerset | 430 |
| 15 | Kiran Carlson | Glamorgan | 405 |
Most Wickets
| Pos | Player | Team | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasan Ali | Kent | 27 |
| 2 | Scott Currie | Hampshire | 26 |
| 3 | James Sales | Northamptonshire | 25 |
| 4 | Calvin Harrison | Lancashire | 22 |
| 5 | Ben Sanderson | Northamptonshire | 21 |
| 6 | Sonny Baker | Hampshire | 21 |
| 7 | Andrew Tye | Sussex | 21 |
| 8 | Usama Mir | Gloucestershire | 20 |
| 9 | Reece Topley | Sussex | 20 |
| 10 | Daniel Sams | Nottinghamshire | 20 |
| 11 | Jake Ball | Nottinghamshire | 20 |
| 12 | Mohammad Ali | Yorkshire | 19 |
| 13 | Chris Wood | Hampshire | 19 |
| 14 | Matthew Potts | Durham | 19 |
| 15 | Akif Javed | Hampshire | 18 |
Best Bowling Figures
| Pos | Player | Team | BB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Andersson | Derbyshire | 6/23 |
| 2 | James Sales | Northamptonshire | 5/21 |
| 3 | Nathan McAndrew | Glamorgan | 4/15 |
| 4 | Sikandar Raza | Worcestershire | 4/17 |
| 4 | Calvin Harrison | Northamptonshire | 4/17 |
Stats after Phase 1 (6 matches per team). Source: Google T20 Blast standings panel, 10 June 2026.
2025 Season Final Standings (for reference)
The 2025 season used two groups of nine. The 2026 restructure moves to three groups of six. Somerset were the 2025 champions.
North Group 2025
| Team | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancashire Lightning | 9 | 5 | 36 |
| Durham | 8 | 5 | 34 |
| Warwickshire Bears | 8 | 6 | 32 |
| Northants Steelbacks | 8 | 6 | 32 |
| Worcestershire Rapids | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Notts Outlaws | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Leicestershire Foxes | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| Yorkshire | 5 | 9 | 20 |
| Derbyshire Falcons | 4 | 10 | 16 |
South Group 2025
| Team | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey | 11 | 3 | 44 |
| Somerset | 11 | 3 | 44 |
| Hampshire Hawks | 7 | 6 | 30 |
| Kent Spitfires | 7 | 6 | 30 |
| Glamorgan | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Sussex Sharks | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| Gloucestershire | 5 | 9 | 20 |
| Middlesex | 3 | 9 | 16 |
| Essex | 3 | 10 | 14 |
How to Watch Vitality T20 Blast 2026 in the UK
Sky Sports Cricket carries approximately 23 live matches including all knockout fixtures and Finals Day (18 July, Edgbaston). Sky subscribers can stream via the Sky Go app. No subscription? Watch select matches on Now TV with a Sports Day Pass (£14.99) or monthly Sports Pass (£34.99).
The majority of group stage fixtures stream free on ecb.co.uk and the England Cricket app. County clubs also broadcast home matches free on their YouTube channels.
Highlights air weekly on Channel 5 (Tuesdays) and on BBC Sport online. Ball-by-ball radio commentary is available on BBC local radio and the BBC Sounds app for every match.
Vitality T20 Blast 2026: Key Players to Watch
The Blast draws England’s leading T20 specialists alongside a strong contingent of overseas players. Player availability varies depending on international scheduling.
Jos Buttler
Lancashire Lightning
England’s white-ball captain and one of the most destructive T20 batters in world cricket. A consistent Lancashire presence and a major draw for the tournament.
Liam Livingstone
Lancashire Lightning
Power-hitting all-rounder who can bowl leg-spin. One of the highest-profile English players in global T20 franchise cricket and a key betting focus for top run scorer markets.
Sam Curran
Surrey
Left-arm seam all-rounder and Surrey captain. Curran has built a strong T20 record across county and international cricket, and Surrey are perennial Blast contenders.
Jonny Bairstow
Yorkshire Vikings
Aggressive top-order batter with a long record of big T20 scores at Headingley. A focal point for Yorkshire and a name that drives betting market volume.
Moeen Ali
Yorkshire Vikings
Experienced spin-bowling all-rounder and former England white-ball captain. Signed a two-year Blast-only deal with Yorkshire for 2026, adding proven international quality to their North Group campaign.
James Vince
Hampshire Hawks
Hampshire captain and one of the most consistent T20 batters in county cricket. Vince has scored heavily in multiple Blast seasons and is a consistent pick for top run scorer markets.
Player availability subject to international schedule and squad selection decisions.
Betting on the Vitality T20 Blast 2026 (UK)
UK-licensed bookmakers offer a wide range of markets on the Vitality Blast, including outright tournament winner, top run scorer, top wicket taker, and match betting across the group stage. Use our T20 Blast Betting Tips for outright odds comparisons across all 18 counties.
Match betting typically opens two to three days before each fixture. Outright markets open at the start of the tournament or earlier with pre-season pricing. Player performance props (runs, wickets per match) open closer to each game.
Who Won the Vitality T20 Blast 2026?
Northamptonshire Steelbacks won the 2026 Vitality Blast, beating Hampshire Hawks by 14 runs in the Finals Day final at Edgbaston on 18 July. Northants topped the Central and West Group with 9 wins from 12 in the regular season, then beat Somerset by 17 runs in the first semi-final. Hampshire Hawks beat Notts Outlaws by 27 runs in the second semi-final to reach the final. Somerset were the defending champions coming into 2026, having won Finals Day 2025 at Edgbaston.
Finals Day was played at Edgbaston on 18 July 2026. For outright and player markets across UK bookmakers, see our full T20 Blast betting guide.
All betting content on Cricket Enthusiast is for informational purposes only and is restricted to users aged 18 and over in the UK.
