A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |
| Dates | 4 July 2018 – 15 September 2018 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Champions | Worcestershire Rapids (1st title) |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches | 133 |
| Attendance | 931,455 (7,003 per match) |
| Most runs | Laurie Evans (614) |
| Most wickets | Pat Brown (31) |
| Official website | Vitality Blast |
The 2018 Vitality Blast was the sixteenth edition of the T20 Blast currently known as the Vitality Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. It was the first season in which the domestic T20 competition, run by the ECB, has been branded as the Vitality Blast due to a new sponsorship deal.[1] The league consisted of the 18 first-class county teams divided into two divisions of nine teams each with fixtures played between July and September. The final day took place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on 15 September 2018.
Nottinghamshire Outlaws were the champions going into the tournament having beaten the Birmingham Bears by 22 runs in the 2017 final.[2]
Competition format
The 18 first-class county cricket clubs are taking part in the competition. Teams are initially split into two divisions on a geographical basis (North and South) for the group stage of the competition, each group having nine teams. During the group stage, which ran from July until the middle of August, each county played 14 matches, playing six of the other sides in their group twice, once home and once away, and the other two teams once.[2] The winners of each match received two points for a win, with one point awarded in the case of a tie or if a match was abandoned. Teams are ranked within their groups by total points, then net run rate. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams from each group entered the knockout stage of the competition.
Teams
North Group
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Ded | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worcestershire Rapids | 14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0.595 |
| 2 | Durham Jets | 14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0.556 |
| 3 | Lancashire Lightning | 14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0.683 |
| 4 | Nottinghamshire Outlaws | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0.073 |
| 5 | Yorkshire Vikings | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | −0.035 |
| 6 | Birmingham Bears | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.033 |
| 7 | Derbyshire Falcons | 14 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | −0.047 |
| 8 | Leicestershire Foxes | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | −0.380 |
| 9 | Northamptonshire Steelbacks | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | −1.398 |
Fixtures
July
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
218/3 (20 overs) |
v
|
Leicestershire Foxes
219/6 (19.4 overs) |
- Leicestershire Foxes won the toss and elected to field.
Nottinghamshire Outlaws
155/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Birmingham Bears
159/2 (17.2 overs) |
- Birmingham Bears won the toss and elected to field.
- Henry Brookes (Birmingham Bears) made his T20 debut
Yorkshire Vikings
200/3 (20 overs) |
v
|
Durham Jets
156/4 (20 overs) |
- Durham Jets won the toss and elected to field.
- Harry Brook and Jonathan Tattersall (Yorkshire Vikings) made their T20 debuts
Lancashire Lightning
188/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Worcestershire Rapids
190/5 (19.5 overs) |
- Lancashire Lightning won the toss and elected to bat.