NatWest T20 Blast preview

Birmingham Bears

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Home Ground: Edgabston
Captain: Jim Troughton

Key Player - Varun Chopra: With a strike-rate of 102.34 from his 46 Twenty20 innings, the experienced Chorpa has the ability to score runs quickly.

Sports Mole says: They haven't been talked about too often as contenders, but with Ian Bell, Chris Woakes, Boyd Rankin, Troughton and Chopra all in the squad, they have a fighting chance of challenging at the right end of the table.

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Home Ground: County Ground
Captain: Wayne Madsen

Key Player - Wes Durston: With a best score of 111 at T20 level, the all-rounder is also equally effective with the ball in hand. At present, he has 40 wickets to his name.

Sports Mole says: The experience of Marcus North and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be welcome, but may well not be enough for Derbyshire to challenge.

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Home Ground: Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground
Captain: Paul Collingwood

Key Player - Ben Stokes: Last year the all-rounder struck 22 sixes, three times as many as any other player managed. The 22-year-old is currently suffering with a hand injury, but should be fit soon.

Sports Mole says: Stokes alone can win matches, but throw in the likes of Phil Mustard and Collingwood with the bat and Graham Onions with the ball, Durham have good players across the board and should be contenders.

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Home Ground: County Ground
Captain: James Foster

Key Player - Ravi Bopara: He's had his critics down the years, but the right-hander has the power to take the game away from the opposition. The England international has also been known to weigh in with wickets.

Sports Mole says: With hitters like Bopara, Foster and Graham Napier to call upon, as well as the pace of Tymal Mills, Reece Topley and David Masters with the ball, Essex have every chance.

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Home Ground: SWALEC Stadium
Captain: Jim Allenby

Key Player - Jacques Rudolph: Having replaced North as Glamorgan's overseas player, the pressure will be on the left-hander with a T20 average of almost 30 to deliver the goods.

Sports Mole says: Aside from Allenby and Rudolph, it is largely a youthful squad at Glamorgan. This year's tournament may have come too soon.

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Home Ground: Nevil Road
Captain: Michael Klinger

Key Player - Benny Howell: Another all-rounder, French-born Howell will be looking to improve upon his T20 high score of 55. In terms of wickets, he has claimed 13 in 15 outings.

Sports Mole says: While Klinger is a fantastic weapon and captain to have, it remains to be seen if his team can match their skipper's standards. There are likely to be stronger sides with greater depth.

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Home Ground: Rose Bowl
Captain: James Adams

Key Player - Glenn Maxwell: The Australian may have struggled with Surrey last year, but he's been in explosive form in the IPL with the Kings XI Punjab. He is currently the top run-getter, having scored 89 or more during his first four innings.

Sports Mole says: Hampshire are favourites for a reason - they have one of the most formidable squads, which includes the likes of Maxwell, Michael Carberry and James Vince. It would be a major surprise if they are not challenging for the top honours.

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Home Ground: St Lawrence Ground
Captain: Rob Key

Key Player - Doug Bollinger: From his 87 innings, the Aussie left-arm has claimed 91 wickets at an economy rate of 7.59. As it stands, he has best figures of 4-13 in the T20 format.

Sports Mole says: With no major standout player among the batting ranks, Kent may find it difficult to make an impact on the South Division.

Kent captain Key told Sports Mole: "As long as we can get one or two of our batsmen in form at the right time, that's what you really need to win matches as we saw with Northants last season. Getting a good start as a team is crucial, because we will generally be playing in matches that go down to the last over, or final few balls."

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Home Ground: Old Trafford
Captain: Glen Chapple

Key Player - Jos Buttler: The big-hitting England wicketkeeper has the ability to win a match on his own. His current best score is 72, but he will fancy his chances of improving upon that this time around.

Sports Mole says: Providing that the free-scoring Buttler, along with the likes of Ashwell Prince find their range, there is no reason why Lancs will not be battling away at the top end of the North Division.

Buttler told Sports Mole: "I think we've got as good of a chance as anyone really. Obviously with the games being played on Friday nights, it's going to be a challenge for all of the teams to find the time to practise for the competition. A big club like Lancashire, with a big squad, it's very important for us to be challenging across all three formats."

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Home Ground: Grace Road
Captain: Josh Cobb

Key Player - Scott Styris: A veteran in the shortest format of the game, the Kiwi will be crucial as he begins life with a new English side. Styris has the potential to change a match very quickly with the bat in hand, but it could be his experience that proves to be the biggest weapon for the Foxes.

Sports Mole says: Leicestershire need the likes of Cobb and Styris to be on top of their game, but they still seem short in the pace bowling department, which could ultimately prevent them from making it to finals day this year.

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Home Ground: Lord's
Captain: Eoin Morgan

Key Player - Eoin Morgan: Despite recently declaring his intentions to earn a recall to the Test squad, Middlesex supporters will be hoping that Morgan's international ambitions do not prevent him from starring in the majority of the competition. There's very few players in the world as destructive with bat in hand, so Morgan's performances will certainly be key.

Sports Mole says: After just missing out on a spot in the quarter-finals last year, Middlesex will be eager to improve in the shortest format. They will be a threat this season if their batting lineup can find form early in the tournament.

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Home Ground: County Ground
Captain: Kyle Coetzer

Key Player - David Willey: The all-rounder was the star for Northants as they lifted the trophy last season, with his hat-trick in the final against Surrey being one of the highlights of the competition. How he returns from the back injury which forced him to miss the start of the season could make the difference for his side.

Sports Mole says: As defending champions Northants have to be taken seriously this year, but losing the influential Cameron White means that another batsman must take the responsibility from the Australian to give the Steelbacks the opportunity to taste success again.

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Home Ground: Trent Bridge
Captain: James Taylor

Key Player - Peter Siddle: The Australian's arrival was a major for the county, and despite not being recognised as a specialist in the shorter format of the game, Siddle's experience with the ball will be valuable for the Outlaws.

Sports Mole says: Nottinghamshire have quality players in every department, and they can fully expect to be challenging in the latter stages of the tournament after suffering the disappointment of being knocked out of the quarter-finals last year.

Outlaws captain Taylor told Sports Mole: "T20 is wide open, so anybody can win a few games. Northants obviously had an amazing tournament last season, and were worthy winners, but it's certainly wide open again. We've got Harry Gurney again this season, and I think he's going to play a massive part this year."

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Home Ground: County Ground, Taunton
Captain: Marcus Trescothick

Key Player - Craig Kieswetter: The England international has all the tools to give bowlers sleepless nights, and he will be hoping to catch the eyes of the selectors by firing for Somerset in this competition. A World Cup winner in this format, the team will be relying on his qualities to give them a boost early in the innings.

Sports Mole says: Somerset should be aiming, at the very least, to be reaching finals day this year. They've got the power to blow away any opposition, and with T20 specialist bowlers Dirk Nannes and Alfonso Thomas at their disposal, they must be considered contenders.

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Home Ground: The Oval
Captain: Graeme Smith

Key Player - Kevin Pietersen: England's loss will surely be Surrey's gain as Pietersen gives his help to the county by adding further quality to a batting lineup which enjoyed great success on their way to the final last season. Everyone knows what to expect from Pietersen, who will be desperate to put on a show when he returns from the Indian Premier League.

Sports Mole says: Surrey fell at the final hurdle last season, but they'll be confident of challenging again under the guidance of former South Africa skipper Smith. A lot may depend on whether bowling duo Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker can deliver on a consistent basis.

Surrey's Steven Davies told Sports Mole: "We had a pretty successful campaign last year, so I see no reason why we can't do that again. It wasn't about outstanding individual performances, but we managed to perform well as a team. It was hugely disappointing to miss out, but fingers crossed we can go that one step further."

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Home Ground: County Cricket Ground, Hove
Captain: Ed Joyce

Key Player - Luke Wright: The batsman has displayed his qualities all over the world, and Sussex will be hoping that he can deliver again with the bat. Very few possess the power that Wright does with the bat, so his performances will certainly catch the eye throughout the summer.

Sports Mole says: A disastrous campaign last year saw the Sharks win just one game, but they should be equipped to do much better this season. Experienced bowlers Steve Magoffin and Yasir Arafat could hold the key for one of the outsiders.

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Home Ground: New Road
Captain: Daryl Mitchell

Key Player - Jack Shantry: Saeed Ajmal's appearances in the early stages of the Blast will surely dominate most conversations at New Road, but it's the intelligent bowling of Shantry that could be vital for the Rapids as they look to recover from a disappointing tournament in 2013.

Sports Mole says: Worcestershire are contenders for promotion in division two of the County Championship, and their focus on the longer format could see them struggle to make an impact in this competition this season.

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Home Ground: Headingley
Captain: Andrew Gale

Key Player - Aaron Finch: There will be plenty of pressure on the Australian to deliver for the Vikings following his decision to play in England this summer. If given the opportunity to get off to a good start, he could win games on his own for Yorkshire.

Sports Mole says: Finishing bottom of a six-team North division last season simply wasn't good enough. An impressive start to the County Championship has boosted morale in the camp, and a trip to finals day this season is certainly not out of the question.

Yorkshire captain Gale told Sports Mole: "If you look at the players we've got coming in - Aaron Finch and Kane Williamson - we've definitely got the team to go far in this competition. Momentum will be important. T20 is a momentum game, we've seen teams go on to win six, seven or eight matches in a row in this competition."

Written by
Liam Apicella