Somerset start T20 Blast defence against Hampshire

Somerset will host Hampshire Hawks in Taunton on Friday, May 22, in a rematch of the final of the previous season to begin their Vitality Blast title defense.

The men’s and women’s competitions will compete side by side in a new slimmed-down format during the opening weekend of the 2026 campaign.

The men’s group stages have been reduced by two games to twelve matches per side, with the quarter-finals and Finals Day immediately following, ensuring that the competition is fully wrapped up in a single block before The Hundred debuts.

The Oval will host the women’s finals day on July 17th, one day before Edgbaston’s men’s showpiece.

Three groups of six divided into north, central, and south groups will replace the two groups with nine sides in men’s basketball in 2020.

The first Roses double-header will take place on Friday, July 10 at Old Trafford following Yorkshire Women’s professional transition to Tier 1 terms.

Additionally, it results in the formation of two groups of nine for the women’s T20.

The tier-one teams will play 12 group-stage matches before Finals Day, while the second-tier teams will play eight group games before Sophia Gardens’ special three-team Finals Day on Sunday, July 12th.

Neil Snowball, the ECB managing director for competitions and major events, stated that the changes to the 2026 men’s and women’s Vitality Blast competitions were made to help both players and fans.

Men’s Vitality T20 Blast

North Group: Leicestershire, Durham, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Durham, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire

Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire Bears, Somerset, Glamorgan, Worcestershire, Central Group

South Group: Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Kent, Middlesex, Essex, and South Group

Warwickshire Bears, Durham, Essex, Hampshire Hawks, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Yorkshire in the first round of the Vitality Blast Women’s Competition.