NatWest T20 Blast 2017 - team by team

Looking for all of the key information ahead of NatWest T20 Blast? ecb.co.uk have done a handy guide ahead of the opening round of fixtures.

The Foxes are not in action until Sunday afternoon against Lancashire Lightning at Liverpool but NatWest T20 Blast begins this afternoon.

Brendon McCullum leads a Middlesex team coached by Dan Vettori against Michael Klinger’s Gloucestershire at Cheltenham – one of several matches which is already sold out.

There’s no shortage of star quality in the opening round of games, with England white-ball specialists such as Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Chris Jordan; overseas recruits including Mohammad Amir and Shahid Afridi; and the odd blast from the past - including Kevin Pietersen, who is up against Amir and Essex in Friday night’s televised game at Chelmsford – when Andrew Flintoff will make his Sky commentary bow.

The Blast has been shifted to a block in the peak of the summer this season, and will dominate county cricket from Friday and the quarter-finals from August 22-25 – with Finals Day again at Edgbaston, on Saturday September 2.

There’s a team by team preview below:
 
North Group
 
Birmingham Bears
Captain: Ian Bell
Overseas: Jeetan Patel (NZ), Colin de Grandhomme (NZ) 
One to Watch: Josh Poysden – leg-spinner whose white ball skills earned him selection for England Lions and North against South last winter.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2015 (semi-finals)
First match: Worcestershire Rapids (away, Friday, 530pm)
 
Derbyshire Falcons
Captain: Gary Wilson
Overseas: Matt Henry (NZ), Imran Tahir (SA)
One to Watch: A coach in their case – John Wright, New Zealander who was a popular overseas player for the club, and has since enjoyed considerable success with India and most relevantly the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Last Finals Day appearance: Never.
First match: Northants Steelbacks (away, Friday, 630pm)
 
Durham Jets
Captain: Paul Coughlin
Overseas: Tom Latham (NZ)
One to Watch: Paul Collingwood – competitive instinct still formidable, even at 41.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2016 (runners-up)
First match: Lancashire Lightning (home, Friday, 630pm)
 
Lancashire Lightning
Captain: Steven Croft
Overseas: Junaid Khan (Pak), Ryan McLaren (SA)
One to Watch: Jos Buttler – hasn’t been seen often in a Lancashire shirt recently, but set to be a regular over the next few weeks, and one of the big attractions of this year’s Blast.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2015 (Winners)
First match: Durham Jets (away, Friday, 630pm)
 
Leicestershire Foxes
Captain: Clint McKay
Overseas: McKay (Aus), Luke Ronchi (NZ)
One to Watch: Ronchi – Wicket-keeper and explosive batsman has the ability to revive Leicestershire’s T20 glory days – still the only team to have won the title three times.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2011 (Winners)
First match: Lancashire Lightning (away – Liverpool - Sunday, 230pm)
 
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Captain: Alex Wakely
Overseas: Rory Kleinveldt (SA), Tabraiz Shamsi (SA), Seekuge Prasanna (SL)
One to Watch: Ben Duckett – keen to make his point to England after slipping down the pecking order since making his Test debut in the winter.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2016 (Winners)
First match: Derbyshire Falcons (home, Friday, 630pm)
 
Notts Outlaws
Captain: Dan Christian
Overseas: Christian (Aus), Ish Sodhi (NZ)
One to Watch: Alex Hales – on a high after his stunning Lord’s destruction of Surrey in the Royal London One-Day Cup final.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2016 (semi-finals)
First match: Yorkshire Vikings (away, Friday, 630pm)
 
Worcestershire Rapids
Captain: Joe Leach
Overseas: John Hastings (Aus), Mitchell Santner (NZ)
One to Watch: Joe Clarke – inventive batsman who has been a Lions regular for the last 18 months, showing he is on England’s radar.
Last Finals Day appearance: Never
First match: Birmingham Bears (home, Friday, 630pm)
 
Yorkshire Vikings
Captain: Tim Bresnan (deputising for Gary Ballance)
Overseas: Peter Handscomb (Aus), Shaun Marsh (Aus)
One to Watch: Tom Kohler-Cadmore – recent signing from Worcestershire who hit the fastest century in last year’s Blast.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2016 (semi-finals)
First match: Notts Outlaws (home, Friday, 630pm)

South Group
 
Essex Eagles
Captain: Ryan ten Doeschate
Overseas: Mohammad Amir (Pak)
One to Watch: Amir – fresh from his Champions Trophy triumph with Pakistan, he will give the Eagles real star quality.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2013 (semi finals)
First match: Surrey (home, Friday, 7pm – live on Sky)
 
Glamorgan
Captain: Jacques Rudolph
Overseas: Rudolph (SA), Colin Ingram (SA)
One to Watch: Ingram – hit a record-equalling 29 sixes in last year’s competition to lead Glamorgan to a home quarter final.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2004 (semi-finals)
First match: Hampshire (home, Friday, 630pm)
 
Gloucestershire
Captain: Michael Klinger
Overseas: Klinger (Aus), Thisara Perera (SL)
One to Watch: Has to be Klinger – a run machine for the last four seasons.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2007 (runners-up)
First match: Middlesex (home – Cheltenham – 230pm, Friday)
 
Hampshire
Captain: James Vince
Overseas: George Bailey (Aus), Shahid Afridi (Pak)
One to Watch: Mason Crane – 20-year-old leg-spinner who showed his star potential in two T20 international appearances for England last month.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2015 (semi-finals)
First match: Glamorgan (away, Friday, 630pm)
 
Kent Spitfires
Captain: Sam Northeast
Overseas: Adam Milne (NZ), Jimmy Neesham (NZ)
One to Watch: Sam Billings – after travelling the world as a T20 specialist this winter, would love to lead Kent to an overdue Finals Day return.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2009 (semi-finals)
First match: Essex (home – Beckenham – Sunday, 3pm)
 
Middlesex
Captain: Brendon McCullum / Dawid Malan
Overseas: McCullum (NZ), Tim Southee (NZ)
One to Watch: McCullum – linking up with Dan Vettori, his former New Zealand team-mate who has been appointed as a specialist T20 coach.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2008 (Winners)
First match: Gloucestershire (away – Cheltenham – Friday, 230pm)
 
Somerset
Captain: Jim Allenby
Overseas: Corey Anderson (NZ)
One to Watch: Roelof ven der Merwe – easily overlooked, but his combination of powerful hitting and off-spin is crucial to Somerset’s balance. 
Last Finals Day appearance: 2012 (semi-finals)
First match: Surrey (away, Sunday, 230pm)
 
Surrey
Captain: Gareth Batty
Overseas: Aaron Finch (Aus), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Moises Henriques (Aus)
One to Watch: Kevin Pietersen – making a welcome return to the domestic scene after a two-year absence.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2014 (semi-finals)
First match: Essex Eagles (away, Friday, 7pm – live on Sky)
 
Sussex Sharks
Captain: Ross Taylor
Overseas: Taylor (NZ)
One to Watch: Tymal Mills – desperate to get back on the field after suffering back problems following his lucrative IPL stint, and could form a mouthwatering pace combination with Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer and George Garton.
Last Finals Day appearance: 2012 (semi-finals)
First match: Glamorgan (home – Arundel – Sunday, 230pm