T20 Blast To Lose Two Matches Per Team In 2026 In Latest Domestic Cricket Reshuffle

The men’s T20 Vitality Blast will beryllium reduced from 14 to 12 group-stage games from 2026 to streamline nan title and easiness nan workload connected players successful nan latest reshuffle of English home cricket.

The simplification successful nan number of games will let nan title to beryllium played successful a block, with Finals Day held earlier nan Hundred starts successful August, alternatively than going into hibernation during nan summertime holidays earlier stumbling backmost to life successful September.

The dream is that this will alteration counties to clasp overseas players for nan full title period, play games connected much sellable days of nan week and springiness players much remainder betwixt matches. It will besides greatly trim nan number of hated back-to-back fixtures.

The 18 first-class counties voted done nan alteration successful statement pinch nan recommendations of nan county-led men’s Domestic Playing programme reappraisal and successful harmony pinch nan wishes of nan players’ union, nan Professional Cricketers’ Association.

The counties will beryllium divided into 3 location groups of six – pinch counties playing each different location and away, positive 1 location crippled and 1 distant crippled against a region extracurricular their group – giving each region an opportunity to play each different connected a rolling basis.

Attendance figures for nan Blast person fallen sharply since a highest of 950,000 tickets sold successful 2019, knocked first by Covid and past by nan preamble of nan Hundred successful 2021. The review’s steering group, made up of six region main executives, positive ECB and PCA representatives, believes that rejigging nan fixtures unsocial will not beryllium capable to reinvigorate nan Blast and much innovative moves – specified arsenic nan preamble of a cardinal finance money – will beryllium needed.

Where location has antecedently been wide region guidance to immoderate simplification successful nan number of lucrative Blast games, nan Hundred windfall – non-Hundred-host counties are owed to person conscionable complete £24m, big counties £18m – has fixed nan counties much wriggle room.

There is not yet immoderate statement connected nan early of nan County Championship, but nan temper euphony suggests against immoderate drastic change, contempt nan PCA’s plea that a simplification from 14 to 12 games is “the only reasonable option”. A determination will beryllium made by nan counties earlier nan Championship resumes for 3 last rounds successful September.

The number of games successful nan apical tier of nan Women’s Blast title will besides autumn from 14 to 12, arsenic Yorkshire move up to Tier One, pinch each region playing six location and six distant games. The Tier Two teams will travel together into 1 group, playing each different location and away.