The Vitality Blast Women’s competition gets underway on Friday, 22 May 2026 in England and Wales. Officially known as the Vitality Blast Women’s Competition, this is the second season of the professional Vitality Blast Women T20 tournament, played alongside the men’s Vitality Blast and run across two tiers, League One (Tier 1) and League Two (Tier 2). Below is a complete preview covering the schedule, all nine Tier 1 teams, key squads, players to watch and the tournament favourites.
Vitality Blast Women 2026: Quick Overview
| Detail | Information |
| Tournament | Vitality Blast Women’s Competition (Tier 1) |
| Format | Twenty20 (T20) |
| Tier 1 Teams | 9 counties |
| Group Stage | 22 May – 12 July 2026 |
| Finals Day | Friday, 17 July 2026 |
| Finals Venue | The Kia Oval, London |
| Defending Champions | Surrey Women |
How the Vitality Blast Women’s competition works
League One features nine teams in 2026, up from eight last season after Yorkshire’s promotion from Tier 2. Each side plays 12 group-stage matches, six home and six away, facing four counties twice and four counties once. Points are 2 for a win, 1 for a tie or no-result, and 0 for a loss. The top four sides at the end of the group stage progress to Finals Day at The Kia Oval, where the first-placed team meets the fourth in Semi-final 1, second meets third in Semi-final 2, and the winners meet in the final.
Vitality Blast Women teams
- Durham Women
- Essex Women
- Hampshire Hawks Women
- Lancashire Thunder Women
- Somerset Women
- Surrey Women
- The Blaze Women
- Warwickshire Bears Women
- Yorkshire Women
Key Storylines to Watch in the Vitality Blast Women T20 2026
Surrey defend with depleted ranks
Defending champions Surrey enter the Vitality Blast Women 2026 as outright favourites, but they lose four players to England’s T20 World Cup squad, more than any other county.
Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Tilly Corteen-Coleman are all unavailable through the WC window, as is Priyanaz Chatterji (Scotland). Australian opener Laura Harris arrives as the overseas signing, filling the void left by sister Grace. Bryony Smith captains.
Meg Lanning lands at Lancashire
Lancashire Thunder’s capture of Australian batting legend Meg Lanning is the signing of the winter. The former Australia captain anchors a Thunder side chasing the only domestic trophy missing from their cabinet after winning both the Vitality County T20 Cup and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup last year. Ellie Threlkeld leads, with England trio Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur and Emma Lamb away on World Cup duty.
Yorkshire’s Tier 1 debut
Yorkshire step up to Tier 1 of the Vitality Blast Women’s competition for the first time, after reaching the 2025 Tier 2 final (beaten by Middlesex) and winning nine of ten matches.
Captain Lauren Winfield-Hill leads a young squad bolstered by two international spin-bowling all-rounders in England’s Sarah Glenn and Australia’s Jess Jonassen. Coach Rich Pyrah is not blessed with squad depth, however, and Sterre Kalis (Netherlands) and Rachel Slater (Scotland) are also away on World Cup duty.
Warwickshire face an injury test
Last year’s runners-up start the Vitality Blast Women T20 campaign without two integral top-order players: Davina Perrin (hamstring, the Bears’ 2025 leading run-scorer with 385) and Katie George (abductor).
Australia keeper-batter Georgia Redmayne arrives as overseas to bring experience to a young squad, and Issy Wong and Em Arlott are away on England duty. Slow left-arm spinner Millie Taylor, last season’s overall leading wicket-taker with 22, remains the key bowler.
The Blaze adapt around six absences
2025 semi-finalists The Blaze lose six internationals through the World Cup window: Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones (England), Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce and skipper Kirstie Gordon (Scotland), and Orla Prendergast (Ireland).
Marie Kelly captains during the WC window, with Tammy Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss (the Blaze’s 2025 leading run-scorer with 412) the key domestic batters. Australia A all-rounder Charli Knott arrives as overseas after a productive 2025 spell at Hampshire.
World Cup overlap reshapes every squad
Every Tier 1 county apart from Hampshire Hawks loses senior players through the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup window in June and July. Squad depth, academy promotions and well-timed overseas signings become the deciding factors in the Vitality Blast Women’s competition this year, more so than at any point since the league turned professional.
Vitality Blast Women: Players to watch
- Meg Lanning (Lancashire Thunder): Former Australia captain. World-class top-order batter and the headline overseas signing of the 2026 Vitality Blast Women T20.
- Davina Perrin (Warwickshire Bears): The Bears’ 2025 leading run-scorer (385). Returning from a hamstring injury that will keep her out of the early Vitality Blast Women’s fixtures.
- Millie Taylor (Warwickshire Bears): Slow left-arm spinner. Took 22 wickets last season, the most in the entire Vitality Blast Women’s competition.
- Georgia Elwiss (The Blaze): Former England all-rounder. The Blaze’s 2025 leading run-scorer (412) and the side’s key source of runs through the WC window.
- Lauren Winfield-Hill (Yorkshire): Captain and keeper-batter. Returns to Yorkshire after a loan spell at Essex, where she topped the run charts with 334.
- Ella McCaughan (Hampshire Hawks): Opener whose 2025 Vitality Blast Women’s campaign was cut short by injury after three fifties and the competition’s maiden century.
Vitality Blast Women 2026: Tournament favourites
Defending champions Surrey enter the Vitality Blast Women 2026 as outright favourites, but losing four England players plus Priyanaz Chatterji to Scotland leaves them more vulnerable than 12 months ago. The field looks open.
- Surrey Women: Inaugural champions, but the heaviest WC-window losses of any side. Laura Harris and academy promotions key.
- Lancashire Thunder: Reigning Vitality County T20 Cup and Metro Bank One-Day Cup holders. The Meg Lanning signing makes the Vitality Blast Women’s title the only piece missing.
- Warwickshire Bears: 2025 runners-up. Squad depth tested by injuries and England absences, but Millie Taylor’s spin and Redmayne’s experience keep them firmly in the conversation.
- The Blaze Women: 2025 semi-finalists. Stripped of six internationals but still capable, with Beaumont, Elwiss, Kelly and Knott carrying the load.
- Hampshire Hawks: Dark horse. Non-internationals look stronger than a year ago, Wellington is a game-changing overseas, and a fit McCaughan makes a Finals Day push realistic.
Key dates for the Vitality Blast Women T20 2026
- Group stage opens: Friday, 22 May 2026
- Roses T20 double-header (Lancashire vs Yorkshire) at Emirates Old Trafford: Friday, 10 July 2026
- Group stage concludes: Sunday, 12 July 2026
- Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day: Friday, 17 July 2026 at The Kia Oval
Where to Watch the Vitality Blast Women’s 2026 Competition?
Non-televised Tier 1 Vitality Blast Women’s matches stream live on the ECB official website and via the England Cricket app. The 10 July Roses double-header at Emirates Old Trafford is the standout televised fixture of the group stage, with Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day at The Kia Oval also picked up for live broadcast.
Vitality Blast Women 2026: Final word
The 2026 Vitality Blast Women T20 is shaped by one defining storyline, the overlap with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Every team apart from Hampshire Hawks loses senior players for a chunk of the season, and that turns squad depth into the most important currency in the competition.
Surrey remain the team to beat, but Lancashire Thunder’s Lanning-led firepower, Warwickshire’s ability to absorb injuries, and The Blaze’s domestic core all give them a credible route to Finals Day at The Kia Oval on 17 July.
"For the full preview with every squad and team-by-team analysis, see our complete of Women's Vitality Blast T20 Guide.