Friday 20 May 2016 19:52, UK
The 2016 NatWest T20 Blast gets underway with Essex taking on Surrey, live on Sky Sports 2 from 7pm on Friday.
Ahead of the competition, we've asked Sky Sports' Rob Key and Nasser Hussain to take a look at the North and South groups respectively, picking out their winners and ones to watch.
Read Rob's take on the northern teams below, while click here for Nasser's thoughts on the southern sides...
North Group winner…
Nottinghamshire. Their overseas player is Dan Christian, plus he's the captain. It's a very experienced side with the likes of Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels. Jake Ball is a rare talent with the ball, and Luke Fletcher, if he plays, bowls very good yorkers. They've also got a very good, wily spinner and all-rounder in Samit Patel.
I just think they've got a lot of excellent cricketers. Obviously, what's happened to James Taylor is going to be a huge loss, but Trent Bridge is a great ground for T20, one of the best wickets to play a T20 game on. They've got a very good history of playing well in Twenty20 and they've got a very good side.
Quarter-final contenders…
Northamptonshire were at Finals Day last year and everyone sees them as underdogs because they're a smaller county but actually they've got a lot of match-winners in their line-up. They've lost David Willey, but I like Northants and I think they understand T20 cricket - they've got some good young players and skilful bowlers.
Strugglers…
Yorkshire are obviously a fantastic side and there is every chance they'll still do well in it, but any team that loses three-quarters of your players to England or any other side is going to find it hard work. There is nothing to say they won't do very well but, if they do, it will be a serious effort.
Batting star…
I think Ben Duckett at Northants is an outstanding prospect, certainly in the longer format. He really puts you under the cosh and can score very quickly, so can easily come off in T20, too. What sort of role they find for him at Northants I don't know, but he could be a real star.
Bowling star…
Stephen Parry. An unsung hero at Lancashire over the last few years, he leads their spin attack - which is important for them - well. You have Arron Lilley and Steven Croft who come on and do a job but Parry is the one they generally use as a banker - he gets four overs, normally takes wickets and doesn't concede many runs.
Gun fielder…
Paul Collingwood is still one of the best fielders in the world at near-on 40 years old. It's extraordinary, particularly considering I wasn't moving well at 20 and got progressively worse! Colly is like Peter Pan and doesn't seem to age.
Emerging talent…
Olly Stone. People might not have seen a lot of him but he reminds me of a young Stuart Broad when he first came on the scene for Leicestershire as a youngster. He has good pace, is smart and I think he's one to watch.
Fantasy team must have…
Samit Patel. He'll get runs, he'll get wickets and he'll field well. You can't go too far wrong with someone who is involved in every part of the game. He'll bowl four overs, bat and field in important positions so Samit is always up there.
I'd like to see someone come in fancy dress as…
I'm not sure on that one. But I'd like to see Chris Read come as someone in fancy dress. I think he's a dark horse and would probably put in a bit of effort.
The 2016 NatWest T20 Blast gets underway with Essex taking on Surrey, live on Sky Sports 2 from 7pm on Friday.
