When does the Vitality Blast start?
This year we will be celebrating the 20th edition of the world’s longest running professional domestic Twenty20 competition.
The opening night of the 2022 Vitality Blast is Wednesday 25 May when there will be a rematch of last year’s final between champions Kent Spitfires and Somerset.
The group stage will be played over a 40-day period with the final round-robin matches to be staged on Sunday, July 3.
The quarter-finals will be played from July 6-10 with Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 16.
How can I get tickets now?
Yes. Supporters can have a Blast this summer at every home group stage match by buying their season tickets now.
This year’s Vitality Blast will feature more fan-friendly timeslots with 99 of the 126 group-stage matches to be played on a Thursday night, Friday night or at the weekend.
Visit ecb.co.uk/blast-tickets for links to every team’s season ticket pass and take advantage of multi-match savings.
How many ‘overseas’ players can each county play?
Each county can field a maximum of two ‘overseas’ players in a Vitality Blast match.
Already some big-name stars have been signed up including Rashid Khan (Sussex Sharks), Carlos Brathwaite (Birmingham Bears), Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan), Shaheen Afridi (Middlesex), Qais Ahmed (Kent Spitfires), Mohammad Rizwan (Sussex Sharks), Travis Head (Sussex Sharks) and Matthew Wade (Worcestershire Rapids) with many more to come.
What are the groups and format?
This hasn’t changed. The groups remain the same with the familiar North and South split, while each county will play 14 group-stage matches (seven at home and seven away).
North Group
Birmingham Bears, Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws, Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire Vikings.
South Group
Essex Eagles, Gloucestershire, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Glamorgan, Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex Sharks.
How do counties qualify for the knockout stages?
The quarter-finals will be seeded with the higher-seeded team set to host their quarter-final. So, as an example, the top team in the North Group will host the fourth-ranked team from the South Group in the quarter-finals.
The four winners of the quarter-finals will qualify for Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 16.
All knockout matches will have a reserve day should that be required.
How can I watch and follow?
Sky Sports is set broadcast 19 matches throughout the group stage, with each county set to feature at least twice before the four quarter-finals and Finals Day.
All Vitality Blast fixtures will be available via BBC Local Radio stations with extensive coverage also on 5 Live Sports Extra.
The ECB will again host live streams of every match on the ECB website and ECB app, to ensure you can always follow your team.
As a reminder, here’s where you can follow the Vitality Blast across ECB’s channels:
Will there be double headers with the Charlotte Edwards Cup?
Yes, there will be 10 double headers involving the men’s and women’s T20 competitions this summer:
Sunday 29 May
Central Sparks v SE Stars; Birmingham Bears v Durham – Edgbaston
Northern Diamonds v Thunder; Yorkshire Vikings v Leicestershire Foxes – Headingley
Western Storm v Sunrisers; Somerset v Essex Eagles – The Cooper Associates County Ground
Loughborough Lightning v Southern Vipers; Notts Outlaws v Northamptonshire Steelbacks – Trent Bridge
Wednesday 1 June
Western Storm v SE Stars; Gloucestershire v Kent Spitfre – The Bristol County Ground
Thunder v Southern Vipers; Lancashire Lightning v Derbyshire Falcons – Emirates Old Trafford
Northern Diamonds v Loughborough Lightning; Durham v Worcestershire Rapids – Riverside
Sunrisers v Central Sparks; Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Leicestershire Foxes – County Ground, Northampton
Sunday 4 June
Southern Vipers v Northern Diamonds; Hampshire Hawks v Sussex Sharks – The Ageas Bowl
Sunday 5 June
Central Sparks v Western Storm; Worcestershire Rapids v Leicestershire Foxes – New Road
Can I still get tickets to Finals Day?
Finals Day is officially sold out.
Tickets have, however, been set aside for the members and fans of the counties who qualify for Finals Day. Once the four teams have qualified those First-Class Counties who qualify will decide and communicate how those tickets will be available.
Some tickets will also be made available when the pitch allocation is confirmed.
