Three-time champions Hampshire could become the first side to not only go back-to-back if they defend the Blast title they won last July but also the first to win this competition four times.
History beckons as the Hawks of Hampshire bid to swoop again
- Vitality Blast T20
- Saturday May 20 - Saturday July 15, 2023
After a thrilling last ball win over Lancashire at Edgbaston last July, Hampshire will be confident of more success having re-signed Australian duo Nathan Ellis and Ben McDermott to play alongside James Vince and co.
If it’s not the South Coast side who create history by becoming the first team to win four Blast titles, Leicestershire Foxes also have the same chance. In truth, it would be a major surprise if they succeeded this year.
I do think Hampshire will be there and thereabouts, though I don’t expect them to be the ones who win the Blast, which kicks off with Blast Off at Edgbaston on Saturday.
That honour, in my view, goes to Nottinghamshire Outlaws, who have supplemented their domestic talent with gun overseas signings Colin Munro and Shaheen Shah Afridi from New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.
The champions of 2017 and 2020, under the new leadership of all-rounder Steven Mullaney, are an appealing 10/1 with bet365 to triumph at Edgbaston in July.
I just think their balance and depth of squad is superb as they aim to better last year’s group stage exit.
Alex Hales, Joe Clarke and Samit Patel with the bat and Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher and Matt Carter with the ball.
Add the stardust of Munro and Afridi to those respective departments and you have a team who will be bloomin’ hard to beat.
:quality(70)/res.cloudinary.com/xlmedia-alpha/image/upload/v1650901211/Salesforce_Logos/Bet365/Bet365_Logo_2022-04-25T15-40-05.png){kind=logo}
Nottinghamshire to win the T20 Blast - 10/1
Graham likes the chances of Nottinghamshire this year
At 10/1 a £10 bet would return £110
Surrey justify southern favouritism
Before we move on from Notts, I also think the 4/1 bet365 have on them to win the North Group is worth taking.
Nottinghamshire to win the North group - 4/1
Graham likes Nottingham to top their group
At 4/1 a £10 bet would return £50
That is something they did in 2020 and 2021 before finishing fifth in the North last year to miss out on the quarter-finals. Their group stage failure was an anomaly in recent years.
Surrey, meanwhile, justify their favouritism in the South Group.
Betfred have them at 10/3 to secure that honour. With betfred, the Oval based county are just behind Somerset in the running for this particularly market.
:quality(70)/res.cloudinary.com/xlmedia-alpha/image/upload/v1677148966/Salesforce_Logos/Betfred/Betfred_Logo_2023-02-23T10-42-39.png){kind=logo}
Surry to win South group 10/3
Surrey are fancied to take top honours in the South
At 10/3 a £10 bet would return £43.33
West Indies spin legend Sunil Narine returns as an overseas player, while I’m a huge fan of Australian seamer Sean Abbott, the leading wicket-taker in Big Bash history and perennial champion with Sydney Sixers.
Add the likes of Jason Roy, Will Jacks and young fast bowler Gus Atkinson - keep an eye out for him - and you have a formidable outfit on your hands.
Surrey won the South Group last year but lost to Yorkshire in a quarter-final thriller.
They are joint favourites to win the whole thing at 8/1 with Somerset, and I wouldn’t put anyone off siding with them even if I do just favour Notts Outlaws.
If you fancy the double on North and South Group winners, Nottinghamshire and Surrey, you can get a juicy price of 20/1 with BetVictor. I would be having a couple of quid on that.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/xlmedia/be51e2df-a7fd-4f62-a80e-6f729ca228d9.jpg)
