T20 Blast quarter-finals preview – Somerset and Hampshire target another Finals Day appearance

The Vitality Blast has reached the quarter-final stage after Somerset and Essex confirmed the final two spots up for grabs in Sunday’s final round of group stage matches.

With changes to the format and structure of the competition in 2026, all four knockout ties will be played on the same day (Wednesday) which has coincided with England’s hugely-anticipated FIFA World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina.

This means there are earlier-than-ideal afternoon start times but still plenty of drama guaranteed as the eight teams look to book a date at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Dom Harris runs the rule over every quarter-final and the key players who could make the difference.

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Northamptonshire Steelbacks vs Gloucestershire

Central and West Group winners Northamptonshire Steelbacks were the standout side in the group stages, recording eight straight victories before losing three of their final four games.

A slight drop off in form may be a concern for Darren Lehmann, who is looking to guide Northants to back-to-back Finals Day appearances, though they do have the benefit of a home tie against a side they have already beaten twice this campaign in convincing style.

The return of destructive opener Chris Lynn has been key, alongside the smart recruitment of fellow Aussie Nathan McSweeney whose BBL-winning leadership experience could prove invaluable, whilst the emergence of 23-year-old James Sales has added another dimension to their otherwise experienced seam attack.

As for 2024 champions Gloucestershire, they too raced into a commanding position with five wins at the halfway stage and then stumbled their way to qualification as ultimately one of the best third-placed sides in what was an extremely competitive group.

Australian D’Arcy Short has been the main source of runs for the second-season running, with Dawid Malan’s arrival into the side establishing a strong opening partnership.

Left-arm quick Duan Jansen filled the void of an injured David Payne with a devastating impact in the powerplay which has been sorely missed since his temporary replacement deal came to an end.

Ben Charlesworth and Ollie Price have both been notable absences throughout the second half of the group stages, though 21-year-old Kamran Dhariwal’s devastating blitz at Worcester to secure a crucial victory shows they still possess plenty of match-winners.

Key stats (Northamptonshire Steelbacks/Gloucestershire)

Group finish: 1st (Central & West) / 3rd (Central & West)

Leading run-scorer: Chris Lynn (457) / D’Arcy Short (429)

Leading wicket-taker: James Sales (20) / Duan Jansen* (16) – *since departed

2025 performance: Semi-finals / Group stages

Hampshire Hawks vs Essex

In another knockout meeting between two sides from the same group, South group winners Hampshire Hawks take on third-placed Essex, with the hosts searching for a 12th appearance at Finals Day and a fifth in six years.

The 2025 beaten finalists won eight games in the group stages, including five out of six at home, though were recently beaten by their upcoming opponents in the penultimate round with a heavy seven-wicket defeat at Chelmsford.

Toby Albert, the competition’s leading run-scorer last year, has failed to fire but there have been strong contributions throughout from Joe Weatherley and captain James Vince, as well as middle-order overseas duo Hilton Cartwright and Tristan Stubbs, whereas seamers Scott Currie and Chris Wood have accounted for 50% of wickets amongst the bowlers.

Talisman Liam Dawson will be unavailable with the England ODI squad, though speedster Sonny Baker is set to feature and 18-year-old Ben Mayes could be one to watch with three strong scores to end the group stages.

Essex will arrive on the South coast having effectively already played two knockout matches to ensure their progression, beating the two sides who finished above them in the group.

Without Jordan Cox, Sam Cook and South African Wiaan Mulder for much of the campaign, they have once again relied heavily on a crop of home-grown players, including Charlie Allison and Charlie Bennett who have been impressive with bat and ball respectively.

Paul Walter and Michael Pepper have led from the front at the top of the order, whilst all-rounders Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer are likely to have a key role for Essex in their first quarter-final since 2023.

Key stats (Hampshire Hawks/Essex)

Group finish: 1st (South) / 3rd (South)

Leading run-scorer: Joe Weatherley (382) / Paul Walter (372)

Leading wicket-taker: Scott Currie (21) / Shane Snater and Charlie Bennett (16)

2025 performance: Runners-up / Group stages

Notts Outlaws vs Surrey

Trent Bridge has witnessed plenty of drama over the past few weeks and this quarter-final matchup promises to produce more of the same in a re-match of the 2020 final in which the Outlaws emerged victorious.

Notts lost their first three games before embarking on a stunning turnaround of eight straight wins to lead the way in the North group and secure a first home knockout tie since 2021.

Their recruitment has been decisive with Scotland international George Munsey proving an inspired addition with 477 runs and five half-centuries, whilst Pakistan seamer Mohammad Ali and South Africa spinner George Linde have claimed 34 wickets between them – though Ali has since left for international duty.

Much like their red-ball campaign, it has been unconvincing at times from Surrey but in the end they booked a place in the knockout stages for a fifth consecutive season to keep their hopes alive of finally putting an end to their T20 silverware drought as they head to Trent Bridge for a T20 for the first time in 20 years.

Experienced duo Jason Roy and Reece Topley have been standout performers, whilst runs and wickets have otherwise been shared around the squad.

It may come down to a case of which Surrey batting unit turns up on the day as perfectly demonstrated in their previous two games – they chased a modest total at Kent within nine overs last Friday before being bowled out by Essex for 123 on Sunday, in what was the third instance they were dismissed for a low score in the group stages.

Key stats (Notts Outlaws/Surrey)

Group finish: 1st (North) / 2nd (South)

Leading run-scorer: George Munsey (477) / Jason Roy (397)

Leading wicket-taker: Mohammad Ali (19) / Reece Topley (19)

2025 performance: Group stages / Quarter-finals

Yorkshire vs Somerset

Headingley will host the first-ever meeting between these two sides in T20 cricket on Wednesday.

They both finished second in their respective groups with seven wins each, though Yorkshire’s tie with Derbyshire ultimately gave them the two additional points to finish as the best-performing second-placed side and earn a quarter-final at their home ground for the first time in 14 years.

Yorkshire are one of four sides to never lift the T20 title and this is only their seventh quarter-final appearance, whereas Somerset are knockout regulars and going for a remarkable sixth successive Finals Day.

The three-time winners were made to work hard for qualification this time around, boosted by the return of key players as they rattled off five wins in their last six to sneak through on the final round of fixtures.

The Rew brothers have been at the heart of Somerset’s upturn in form, whilst for Yorkshire it is the experience of Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow doing the business – Derbyshire’s Aneurin Donald (230.66) and Glamorgan’s Kiran Carlson (195.65) are the only batters with more than 200 runs striking at a better rate than 38-year-old Lyth.

With the ball, Pakistan’s Hasan Ali is leading the competition charts for Yorkshire with 25 wickets at an average of 12.92, four more scalps than the next highest and eight more than fellow overseas Daniel Sams who has been Somerset’s most productive bowler.

Key stats (Yorkshire/Somerset)

Group finish: 2nd (North) / 2nd (Central & West)

Leading run-scorer: Adam Lyth (409) / James Rew (426)

Leading wicket-taker: Hasan Ali (25) / Daniel Sams (17)

2025 performance: Group stages / Winners

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