The Vitality Blast returns on Friday. The new-look competition features three groups of six counties - North, South, Central and West - and a group stage reduced to 12 matches per county. Finals Day will be held at Edgbaston on Saturday 18 July. Here we assess the runners and riders in the Central/West Group.
Glamorgan
Captain: Kiran Carlson
Overseas players: Nathan McAndrew (Australia, all), Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan, all), Colin Ingram (South Africa, all)
Finals Day appearances: Two (2004, 2017)
Titles: None
2025 finish: 5th in South Group
2025 leading run-scorer: Colin Ingram (338 runs)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ned Leonard & Dan Douthwaite (20 wickets)
Key winter moves: Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew joining from Sussex is a good addition to Glamorgan after he took a five-wicket haul and a six-wicket haul against them in the competition last year. With fellow seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi in the squad, Glamorgan now have depth in their bowling attack with Mason Crane, Dan Douthwaite and Ned Leonard reliable performers in the format.
The big question: Glamorgan's biggest disappointment in recent seasons has been their inability to string results together to qualify from the group stage. Last year, individual performances from Dan Lawrence and Toby Albert took games away from the Welsh county when they were looked likely winners. And in 2024 a record win over Somerset in the format showed Glamorgan's capabilities; can they pull it all together?
Wildcard watch: Ned Leonard is the type of bowler one might think would be picked up in The Hundred. His point of difference in the Glamorgan attack is extra pace, which he demonstrated in a five-for against former club Somerset last season. Previously on the radar of England coaches, he has yet to play professional cricket in 2026 due to injury.
Final thought: Glamorgan used the Vitality Blast last year as an opportunity to blood youngsters and give them responsibility. Alex Horton regularly featured, Ben Kellaway batted at four and Asa Tribe made a name for himself at number six, although he is likely to open when available. Richard Dawson has had plenty of success in red-ball cricket since joining as head coach 15 months ago, but can he translate that into white-ball success. Blake Bint
Gloucestershire
Captain: Jack Taylor
Overseas players: D'Arcy Short (Australia, all), Duan Jansen (South Africa, six group matches), Cameron Bancroft (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2003, 2007, 2020, 2024)
Titles: One (2024)
2025 finish: 7th in South Group
2025 leading run-scorer: D'Arcy Short (515)
2025 leading wicket-taker: David Payne (17)
Key winter moves: News that D'Arcy Short would return for the 2026 Blast came as a huge boost after the Australian's impact on the competition last season. After a slow start, Short scored five half-centuries, with his tally of 515 runs being 239 more than Gloucestershire's next highest scorer. Duan Jansen, twin brother of South Africa all-rounder Marco, joins for the first six games as a direct replacement for Liam Scott following his Australia call-up.
The big question: How will Gloucestershire's bowling attack fare following the loss of Josh Shaw, Ajeet Singh Dale and Zaman Akhter to rival counties, as well as surgery for David Payne and the retirement of left-arm spinner Tom Smith, now on the coaching staff? They will also be without overseas signing Liam Scott for the first six group games following his selection for Australia's ODI tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Wildcard watch: Ben Charlesworth. The 25-year-old left-hander, who began the season by announcing his intention to leave Gloucestershire at the end of it, had a disappointing Blast campaign last year, registering eight scores below 20 in 13 innings. But he has the power and talent to mark his last T20 campaign at Bristol with a much better return.
Final thought: Momentum is a powerful force in Blast cricket and Gloucestershire's last campaign was a perfect illustration. As reigning champions, they made a disastrous start, losing their first five group matches. Four successive victories were then chalked up before hopes of qualifying from the group were dashed by four defeats in the last five games. A good start this season would build confidence and could make the team the force they were in 2024. Richard Latham
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Captain: David Willey
Overseas players: Chris Lynn (Australia, all), Nathan McSweeney (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Five (2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2025)
Titles: Two (2013, 2016)
2025 finish: Semi-finals
2025 leading run-scorer: Ravi Bopara (462)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Sanderson & George Scrimshaw (26)
Key winter moves: Northamptonshire are glad to have big-hitting Australian opener Chris Lynn back for a third season at Wantage Road after his match-winning century for Hampshire in last season's semi-final ended the Steelbacks' cup dreams. Northamptonshire will miss Ravi Bopara following his retirement, but welcome Big Bash-winning captain Nathan McSweeney who has been scoring heavily in the Championship.
The big question: David Willey has proved an inspirational leader, taking the Steelbacks to a quarter-final and a semi-final in his first two years in charge. Last season's campaign began with a run of six victories before the Steelbacks stuttered in the second half of the group stages before rallying. Can the Steelbacks learn from that and maintain any early momentum?
Wildcard watch: Opener Ricardo Vasconcelos has returned to his best and is striking the ball hard, but few would bet against Ben Sanderson staking a claim again after his Hundred wildcard pick-up last year. The 37-year-old seamer is among county cricket's leading wicket-takers in the Championship with four five-wicket hauls to his name and proving as effective as ever.
Final thought: Chris Lynn brings added firepower at the top of the order, while Willey will also be able to draw on McSweeney's experience, as he looks to guide the Steelbacks to a second consecutive Finals Day appearance under charismatic head coach Darren Lehmann. Sanderson's accuracy and Scrimshaw's pace will again prove pivotal. Northamptonshire hope all-rounder Justin Broad, appointed vice-captain for the Blast, recovers from the back injury that ruled him out of the start of the season. Jeremy Blackmore
Somerset
Captain: Lewis Gregory
Overseas players: Riley Meredith (Australia, seventh group game onwards), Daniel Sams (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: 11 (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
Titles: Three (2005, 2023, 2025)
2025 finish: Winners
2025 leading run-scorer: Will Smeed (620)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Riley Meredith (28)
Key winter moves: Josh Shaw was recruited from Gloucestershire, but the other main moves concerned departures from last year's successful squad, with Sean Dickson, Ben Green and Kasey Aldridge leaving for Glamorgan, Leicestershire and Durham respectively and overseas signing Matt Henry not returning.
The big question: What impact will new overseas signing Daniel Sams have on Somerset's exciting T20 squad? The 33-year-old all-rounder boasts more than 2,000 runs and 250 wickets in T20 cricket around the world, impressing in the IPL, Big Bash, CPL and PSL, while also gaining experience of English conditions with Essex and Nottinghamshire.
Wildcard watch: Thomas Rew. The England Men U19s captain earned himself an £80,000 Hundred contract with Southern Brave after making three Blast appearances as a 17-year-old last summer. There is a school of thought that, while James Rew is a natural red-ball cricketer keen to improve his white-ball skills, the opposite applies to younger brother Thomas. He has been busy completing his A Levels, but should be free from studies to add his aggressive batting qualities to the middle order, while also offering a wicketkeeping option.
Final thought: News that Riley Meredith had been called into Australia's squad for the ODI series against Pakistan and Bangladesh was a severe, if not unexpected, blow to Somerset as it means he will miss the first six Blast group matches. While there are the options of registering Migael Pretorius as an overseas player or making a last-minute signing, it will be hard to replace the genuine pace of Meredith, who claimed 28 wickets in last season's competition. RL
Warwickshire Bears
Captain: Ed Barnard
Overseas players: Usman Tariq (Pakistan, all), Beau Webster (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2002, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Titles: One (2014)
2025 finish: Quarter-finals
2025 leading run-scorer: Alex Davies (464)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Hasan Ali (25)
Key winter moves: Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq is the big addition to a bowling attack which has lost its spin spearhead of recent years, Danny Briggs. Beau Webster's all-round excellence and big-match temperament will be a big asset.
The big question: The same question that has been on the minds of the Bears' supporters for five years? Can they fix that quarter-final jinx? Much work is required to even get to that stage, of course, but if they do, a sequence of five successive quarter-final exits must be broken.
Wildcard watch: Ethan Bamber - T20 games are decided by cricketers who make things happen and Bamber is very much in that category. A wicket-taker with the ball and capable of blistering cameos with the bat.
Final thought: Frustration is growing around Edgbaston at Warwickshire's succession of Blast near-misses - five quarter-final defeats on the bounce. The stadium is a hugely popular host venue for Finals Day… for the hosts to again attend their own party is long overdue. Brian Halford
Worcestershire
Captain: Brett D'Oliveira
Overseas players: Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe, all). Usama Mir (Pakistan, all)
Finals Day appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
Titles: One (2018)
2025 finish: 5th in North Group
2025 leading run-scorer: Ethan Brookes (380)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Dwarshuis (18)
Key winter moves: With last season's leading wicket-taker, Aussie seamer Ben Dwarshuis, unavailable this summer, the Pears have invested heavily in spin with the signings of Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza and Pakistan's Usama Mir.
The big question: Can the Rapids transfer their inspiring 50-over form of 2025 into the shorter format? They have players capable of turning matches but a consistent lack of consistency has meant they have progressed beyond the group stage in only one of the last six seasons.
Wildcard watch: Dan Lategan - the 19-year-old batter arrived at New Road too late for the Blast last season but made an eye-catching start in both red-ball and 50-over formats. After two months tasting the different pressures of red-ball cricket, the fluent strokemaker could be ready to free up and fly in the Blast.
Final thought: The Rapids' Blast history began back on 13 June 2003 with an absolute thriller - a one-wicket win over Northamptonshire achieved with one ball to spare thanks to Stephen Moore's audacious unbeaten 39 from 27 balls. It is time for the Rapids, having shown what they can do in bursts in recent seasons, to combine efficiency with the thrilling cameos and string some wins together to reach their third Finals Day. BH