Friends Life t20 - format
In 2012 the domestic Twenty20 competition, the Friends Life t20, involves the 18 first-class counties divided into three geographical groups with each team playing every other side in their group home and away.
North: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham Dynamos, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire Carnegie
Midlands, Wales & West: Welsh Dragons, Gloucestershire Gladiators, Northants Steelbacks, Somerset, Worcestershire Royals, Warwickshire Bears
South: Kent Spitfires, Essex Eagles, Sussex Sharks, Surrey Lions, Hampshire Royals, Middlesex Panthers
The top two teams in each group plus the two third-placed teams with the best records progress to the quarter-final stage.
The Friends Life t20 begins on Tuesday June 12 with champions Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire at Grace Road (5.40pm start).
The group stage runs throughout June and finishes on Sunday July 8 ahead of quarter-finals on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday July 25.
Friends Life t20 finals day is on Saturday August 25 at Cardiff’s SWALEC Stadium for the first time in the competition’s history.
