Warwickshire retire Birmingham Bears moniker for revamped T20 Blast

Warwickshire have retired their Birmingham Bears moniker for T20 Blast matches, and will instead revert to being called Warwickshire Bears when the rebooted men's and women's competition gets underway in 2026.

The club won their sole T20 title as Birmingham Bears in 2014, but have reverted to their county name after more than a decade, following feedback from members and in recognition of the women's county competition that got underway this season.

"Warwickshire has and always will be at the heart of who we are," Stuart Cain, the county's chief executive, said. "It's our identity and has been for well over a century.

"Over a decade ago, the club decided to be bold with a city-based name for our T20 team and it saw attendances grow to record levels and attract new fans to the Bears. But with our long-term future in mind, and following feedback from members through the members committee, now is the right time for change.

"We represent the county and that's what returning to Warwickshire Bears is about."

The announcement came ahead of the ECB's unveiling of next year's Blast fixtures - which, for the 14th consecutive year, will be hosted at Warwickshire's home ground of Edgbaston (or EdgBLASTon, as per the club's "bold and electrifying move" to rebrand the stadium for the duration of the tournament).

The Blast schedule has been compromised in recent years, following the introduction of the Hundred in a mid-summer block in July and August. This year's event featured a final on September 13, almost two months after the conclusion of the group stage in July, meaning that each of the four teams were missing key players - a situation described by Lancashire's captain, Keaton Jennings, as "ludicrous".

The new-look tournament will take place in a tightened two-month window. The group stage for men and women will run from May 22 to July 12, with the men's quarter-finals taking place three days later on July 15 and Men's Finals Day on July 18. Women's Finals Day will take place 24 hours earlier, on a Friday, at the Kia Oval.

The men's groups have been rejigged, with three groups of six teams replacing the long-standing North and South Groups, albeit with a retention of many of the more traditional rivalries - including Yorkshire versus Lancashire in Lancashire in Group A, Gloucestershire versus Somerset in Group B, and Surrey versus Middlesex in Group C.

Each team will now play 12 group-stage matches instead of 14, which has allowed the schedulers to place 80% of these fixtures in fan-friendly slots on a Friday, Sunday or a Bank Holiday. Following feedback from the PCA, which warned of the dangers of player fatigue in a recent survey, the total number of back-to-back matches in the men's competition has been reduced to six - which is down from more than 50 two years ago - while there is just one in the women's competition.

"The changes to the men's and women's Vitality Blast competitions for 2026 have been made in order to benefit fans and players alike," Neil Snowball, ECB managing director, competitions and major events, said. "Every county will host a men's and women's double header, with 61 double-headers in total, while the significant reduction in back-to-back games gives players more opportunity to perform at their very best throughout the competition.

"The narrative of both competitions will also be easier to follow with the knockout stages following on immediately after the group stages, culminating in a true celebration of T20 cricket with the women's and men's Vitality Blast Finals Days being hosted at the Kia Oval and Edgbaston on consecutive days."

PCA Chief Executive, Daryl Mitchell, said: "Throughout the past 12 months, the PCA has worked tirelessly alongside the professional game to improve standards for players across all formats. The Vitality Blast competitions for 2026 highlight considerable improvements with a real energy injected into them.

"Players want to be at their optimum levels to perform at their best in county cricket's flagship T20 competition and a significant reduction of back-to-back fixtures across the men's and women's Blast, alongside more men's and women's double headers and reduced travel in the men's game will allow this."

The tournaments will begin with 16 men's and women's double-headers across the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Somerset, the men's defending champions, will face Hampshire Hawks in a rematch of last year's final at Taunton, while Surrey - the women's winners - will face Lancashire.

Yorkshire's women, who will be embarking on their maiden Tier 1 season, will take part in their first Roses double-header at Old Trafford on 10 July.

Group A: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws, Yorkshire
Group B: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Warwickshire Bears, Worcestershire Rapids
Group C: Essex, Kent Spitfires, Hampshire Hawks, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex Sharks