The ECB have announced the schedule for the 2025 T20 Blast, featuring a parallel women's competition for the first time.
Both competitions will kick off on May 29 next year, with 'Blast off' weekend running from then to June 1. Across that weekend there will be 10 double-headers where both men's and women's fixtures will take place on the same day at the same grounds. These are the start of 52 double-headers across the competition. The group stage will then come to a conclusion on July 18 with 'Friday Finale', where the women's sides will compete for three spots available on Finals Day, while the men's sides will look to book their places in the quarter-finals.
The first-ever women's T20 Blast Finals Day will take place on Sunday July 27, with an Eliminator and Final taking place at The Oval. Finals Day for the men's competition will take place on Saturday, September 13 at Edgbaston.
The establishment of the women's competition follows the ECB's 'Project Darwin', which is the re-structure of the women's professional game in England and Wales. Counties will retake control of domestic women's sides, organised into three tiers with eight Tier One sides representing the professional women's teams in 2025. The women's T20 Blast will be split into a Tier One and Tier Two competition.
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Scheduling for the men's T20 Blast has drawn criticism from the PCA, the union which represents all professional players in England and Wales. Following criticism of the schedule for the 2024 competition, the union has reiterated its concerns over player welfare with only a small reduction of games played on consecutive days.
"There remains a significant number of fixtures on successive days which suggests little improvements compared to the 2023 schedule," a PCA spokesperson was quotes as saying on ESPNcricinfo. "There is a lot more work needed to meet player welfare needs."
Players have also been outspoken about the need for more rest built into the schedule. A PCA survey last May revealed that 81 percent of county cricketers had feared for their physical health due to high workloads across the season.
The full schedule for both the men's and women's T20 Blast will be released next week.
Skeleton T20 Blast schedule
May 29 - June 1: 'Blast off' weekend (opening matches)
July 18: 'Friday Finale' - (final group-stage matches)
July 26: Women's Tier Two Finals Day (Northampton)
July 27: Women's Tier One Finals Day (The Oval)
September 3-6: Men's Quarter-Finals
September 13: Men's Finals Day (Edgbaston)
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