| 2022 Vitality Blast | |
| Fromdate: | 25 May |
| Todate: | 16 July 2022 |
| Administrator: | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket Format: | Twenty20 |
| Tournament Format: | Group stage and knockout |
| Champions: | Hampshire Hawks |
| Count: | 3 |
| Participants: | 18 |
| Matches: | 133 |
| Most Runs: | James Vince (678) (Hampshire Hawks) |
| Most Wickets: | Richard Gleeson (25) (Lancashire Lightning) |
| Previous Year: | 2021 |
| Previous Tournament: | 2021 T20 Blast |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
| Next Tournament: | 2023 T20 Blast |
| Website: | Vitality Blast |
The 2022 Vitality Blast was the twentieth edition of the T20 Blast (currently known as the Vitality Blast), a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. The tournament was held from 25 May to 16 July 2022.[1] The tournament was run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship reason.[2] The Kent Spitfires were the defending champions, having won their second title during previous season.[3] On 20 January 2022, the ECB announced the fixtures for the tournament.[4]
On 17 June 2022, in the North Group match between the Birmingham Bears and the Notts Outlaws, the Birmingham Bears set a new record for the highest total in an English T20 match, with 261/2.[5] Four days later, Surrey became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals, with their ninth win out of ten games.[6] Following the conclusion of matches played on 1 July 2022, Somerset,[7] the Essex Eagles,[8] and the Hampshire Hawks from the South Group had all confirmed their places in the quarter-finals.[9] The Birmingham Bears also qualified, after winning the North Group.[10] The Derbyshire Falcons and the Lancashire Lightning also qualified from the North Group,[11] with the Yorkshire Vikings taking the final place in the quarter-finals.[12]
The Yorkshire Vikings,[13] the Hampshire Hawks,[14] Lancashire Lightning[15] and Somerset[16] all won their quarter-final matches to secure their places at Finals Day. In Somerset's match, against the Derbyshire Falcons, Somerset set a new record for the highest team total in an English T20 match, with 265/5, breaking the record set earlier in the tournament by the Birmingham Bears.[17] In the final, the Hampshire Hawks beat Lancashire Lightning by one run to win their third title.[18]
Playing format were similar to the previous season, where groups remain the same with the familiar North and South split, while each county will play 14 group-stage matches, seven at home and seven away.[2]
The teams were divided into the following groups:[2]
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Advanced to the quarter-finals
Advanced to the quarter-finals
The ECB confirmed the following fixtures for the knock-out stage of the tournament.[19]
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