T20 Blast 2024 season predictions and cricket betting tips

When to bet

The T20 Blast 2024 season starts at 6.30pm on Thursday

Best bets

Essex to win T20 Blast
2pts 9-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Birmingham Bears to win T20 Blast
1pt 10-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

T20 Blast 2024 predictions

After seven rounds of County Championship matches, the tempo of the English summer quickens this week as the 22nd edition of the T20 Blast begins.

Despite the introduction of The Hundred, which dominates the domestic schedule in late July and August, the Blast remains a valuable Twenty20 tournament and a decent betting heat as 13 of the 18 counties have lifted the trophy at least once.

Somerset claimed their second title last summer, when a stunning catch from Tom Kohler-Cadmore sealed a 14-run win over Essex in a tense, low-scoring final at Edgbaston.

Last season's runners-up should go well again despite losing Dan Lawrence to Surrey. His replacement, Jordan Cox, has made a blistering start to his Chelmsford career, scoring 731 runs in 11 Championship innings, and inspirational Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams is back for another season at Essex.

Sams had kept the Eagles in the final last year, cracking 45 off 26 balls before Kohler-Cadmore's magnificent grab at backward point, and fellow all-rounders Paul Walter, Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer balance the side beautifully.

Adam Rossington, Michael Pepper and Robin Das are exciting top-order batsmen and Essex are a tempting bet to go one better than last season.

Holders Somerset, who won 12 of their 14 South Group matches last summer, are respected while Surrey's Lawrence and Jamie Smith are capable of T20 batting fireworks.

However, Aussie all-rounder Aaron Hardie has pulled out of his stint at The Oval and Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Reece Topley and captain Chris Jordan are in England's T20 World Cup squad.

Birmingham Bears are also missing T20 skipper Moeen Ali due to England commitments but they are worth backing to follow up an impressive 2023 campaign.

The Bears topped the North Group by five points from Lancashire, winning 11 of their 14 games before a two-wicket quarter-final defeat to Essex, whose number nine Shane Snater hit a six off the penultimate ball of the 20th over to seal victory.

Birmingham batsmen Rob Yates and Alex Davies should be full of confidence after prolific Championship campaigns and fast bowlers Richard Gleeson and George Garton, both capped by England in T20 cricket, look smart signings.

Overseas pacemen Hasan Ali, Aamir Jamal and Michael Rae add bite to the Bears' attack and there should be more to come from young spinning all-rounders Dan Mousley and Jacob Bethell as well as the big-hitting Chris Benjamin.

Nottinghamshire look short enough in the betting despite the presence of England 2022 T20 World Cup winner Alex Hales while Australian all-rounder Beau Webster could help Gloucestershire outperform their odds of 40-1.

T20 Blast 2024 format

The 18 first-class counties are split into two groups of nine: 

North Group
Birmingham Bears, Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire

South Group
Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex

Each county plays 14 group-stage matches, seven home and seven away, with the top four in each section advancing to the quarter-finals. The winning quarter-finalists qualify for Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, September 14, when the semi-finals and final take place.

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