ENGLAND NEWS
The group stages of the men’s T20 Blast will be cut from 14 to 12 matches. © Getty
The Professional County Cricket Clubs (PCCs) have approved several modifications to the formats of both the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup for men’s and women’s competitions. These changes aim to enhance player welfare, bolster local rivalries, and simplify scheduling.
A significant change for the T20 Blast involves reducing the group stage from 14 to 12 matches starting next season, based on the review from the county-led Domestic Playing Programme (DPP). The format will revert to three groups of six counties, with quarter-finals and Finals Day set to take place before The Hundred.
In women’s cricket, Yorkshire will ascend from Tier 2 to Tier 1 in 2026, resulting in an even split of nine teams across the two tiers. While the overall number of Tier 1 white-ball matches remains at 28 per county, adjustments will occur: the T20 Blast will be reduced to 12 matches while the One-Day Cup will expand from 14 to 16 matches.
The women’s T20 Blast Finals Day (Tier 1) will feature two semi-finals and a final, while Tier 2 will transitioned from North and South groups to a single league format. In the One-Day Cup, Tier 1 will now consist of 16 group-stage matches, incorporating an Eliminator between the second and third-place teams preceding the final while Tier 2 will be shortened to eight matches per team.
KEY CHANGES EFFECTIVE FROM 2026
Men’s T20 Blast: Group stage reduced from 14 to 12 matches. There will be three groups of six counties, with the top two from each group and two best-performing third-placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals and then to Finals Day.
Women’s T20 Blast – Tier 1: Yorkshire promoted to join a nine-team single group, where each team will play 12 matches. The top four will reach Finals Day.
Women’s One-Day Cup – Tier 1: Retains the same group as the T20 Blast, with 16 matches per team. The first-place team proceeds directly to the final, while an Eliminator will determine the second finalist.
The DPP steering group, including county CEOs as well as representatives from the PCA and ECB, will also evaluate the County Championship and men’s One-Day Cup as part of efforts to enhance domestic competitions overall.
