T20 Blast Finals Day: All you need to know

The Cricketer provides all the information you need ahead of T20 Blast Finals Day

What is it?

Finals Day is the showcase finale of the T20 Blast tournament, featuring two semi-final matches and a final to crown the 2022 champions.

Last year, Kent Spitfires beat Somerset by 25 runs to lift the title.

When is it?

Finals Day will be held on Saturday, July 16 - over two months earlier than last year's event.

Where is it?

Edgbaston, Birmingham, is the home of Finals Day, having staged the event since 2013.

^{Rilee Rossouw is one of the players to watch at Finals Day [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Who's involved?

Neither of the first-placed sides from the group stage made it to Finals Day this year, as Birmingham Bears and Surrey were both beaten at home in the quarter finals.

The first semi-final will see the third Roses clash in the Blast this year, as Lancashire Lightning take on Yorkshire Vikings.

The other semi-final is an all-South affair, as Hampshire Hawks and Somerset contest their second Finals Day clash in a row. Somerset progressed to the final last year, winning by two wickets.

What is the schedule?

Semi-final 1: Yorkshire Vikings v Lancashire Lightning (11am GMT)

Semi-final 2: Hampshire Hawks v Somerset (2:30pm GMT)

Final: Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2 (6:45pm GMT)

^{Kent won the T20 Blast in 2021 [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Route to the final

Somerset, who racked up 10 wins from their 14 group stage matches, come into Finals Day having accumulated the most points of those involved. They finished second in the South Group, earning a home quarter-final against Derbyshire, who came third in the North Group. The hosts set a Blast-record-breaking total of 265 against the Falcons, who managed to post just 74 in a reply - their 191-run winning margin is also a Blast record.

Lancashire Lightning finished second in the North Group with 18 points, with their run including a thrilling tie against Yorkshire in May. The Lightning, without their core power-hitting duo of Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone, overpowered Essex in quarter-finals with some impressive scoring from veteran duo Steven Croft and Dane Vilas helping them chase down Essex's modest total of 161 with 26 balls and seven wickets to spare.

One of two sides to reach Finals Day after finishing fourth in the group stages, Hampshire won nine matches to finish four points clear of fifth-placed Gloucestershire. In the quarter-finals, the Hawks battered Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston, skittling their hosts for just 82 runs thanks to an exceptional team bowling performance. They won the match by 104 runs having posted 186 from their 20 overs - the second biggest defeat in the Bears' history.

Yorkshire may have a talented squad when at full strength, but they were a touch fortunate to make it to the quarter-final stage. Leicestershire were docked two points for player misconduct, allowing the Vikings to leapfrog the Foxes into fourth spot despite winning just seven games in the group stages. Yorkshire proved worthy of a Finals Day spot in their clash at the Kia Oval, however, overcoming Surrey by one run to make it to Edgbaston.

Weather

There is little chance of rain disrupting play with Edgbaston set to be bathed in sunshine. Highs of 25 degrees Celsius are forecast.

^{Jordan Thompson was the hero for Yorkshire in the quarter-finals [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

Odds

Lancashire are slight favourites to overcome Yorkshire, with best odds of 11/12, while the Vikings are placed at 13/12 to reach the final. It's also predicted to be a close tie between Hampshire and Somerset, with the latter 8/9 favourites compared to 11/10 for the Hawks.

The bookies are somewhat coy over their tournament favourites, offering 11/4 for both Lancashire and Somerset to lift the trophy. Yorkshire and Hampshire, placed at 3/1, are slight outsiders.

Where to watch

Finals Day will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in its entirety. The two semi-finals will be available on Sky Sports Cricket while the final will be televised on Sky Sports Main Event.

BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra will provide ball by ball coverage via the BBC Sport website, BBC Sport app, or the BBC Sounds app.