T20 Blast: Champs Notts face Bears in 2018 opener

The 2018 T20 Blast will begin with a repeat of the 2017 final between Nottinghamshire Outlaws and Birmingham Bears.

Notts, who completed the one-day double with victory in the Royal London One-Day Cup later in the season, beat the Bears in the Blast final at Edgbaston in September by 22 runs.

The two sides will begin the 2018 edition of the competition on July 4, this time at Trent Bridge.

The tournament occupies a mid-summer block for the second year in a row, with the entire group stage being completed within 45 days, through to August 17.

As ever, the top four teams from the two nine county groups (North & South) will contest the quarter-finals which will take place between August 23-26.

Finals Day, which will comprise two semi-finals and a final, will take place at Edgbaston on September 15.

With the North Division supplying the last five winners, as well as the last four runners-up, a response from the southern group is long overdue.

Glamorgan and Hampshire, last year's beaten semi-finalists, will face each other in their opening games of the South Group at the Ageas Bowl on July 6.

Leicestershire, the most successful team in T20 history with three titles, begin with a trip to two-time winners Northamptonshire on July 4.

Roses rivals Lancashire and Yorkshire face each other on July 20 at Old Trafford, and then again at Headingley on August 9.

Opening T20 Blast fixtures in 2018

Wednesday, July 4

Essex v Sussex, Chelmsford

Northamptonshire v Leicestershire, Northampton

Nottinghamshire v Birmingham Bears, Trent Bridge

Thursday, July 5

Lancashire v Worcestershire, Old Trafford

Middlesex v Surrey, Lord's

Yorkshire v Durham, Headingley

Friday, July 6

Derbyshire v Lancashire, Derby

Essex v Middlesex, Chelmsford

Hampshire v Glamorgan, Ageas Bowl

Leicestershire v Durham, Leicester

Northamptonshire v Nottinghamshire, Northampton

Somerset v Gloucestershire, Taunton

Surrey v Kent, The Oval

Worcestershire v Birmingham Bears, Worcester