Who are the key players? How did they do last year? Where are they strong? Where might they be weak? Key questions answered ahead of the new T20 Blast campaign
Head coach: Matt Walker
Captain: Sam Billings
Last season: Quarter-finals
How did they do last year?
Kent Spitfires reached the last eight after finishing third in the South Group. They did not win either of their opening two matches - a no result being followed by a dramatic tie with Middlesex - before embarking on a four-match winning streak.
Two defeats in their last four group games led them to a quarter-final against Surrey, where their total of 159 for 8 was far from enough, and Surrey won by six wickets with eight balls to spare.
Two Spitfires batsmen - Daniel Bell-Drummond (423 runs at 42.3, strike rate 154.94) and Zak Crawley (342 runs at 38, strike rate 156.88) - made the top 10 runscorers list for the tournament as a whole. No one scored more than Bell-Drummond.
Fred Klaassen topped the Kent wicket-taking list with 13 at 28.76.
When available, Sam Billings can be potent for Kent Spitfires
Who are their key players?
The acquisition of Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad is a touch from director of cricket Paul Downton and head coach Matt Walker.
Twenty-year-old Ahmad - yet another off the Afghan production line - is a legspinner with variety to fit the modern T20 strike bowler. His career stats - 77 wickets at little more than 21 and a strike rate in the low sevens - is a fine return for a player of his age. He will more than fill a hole for Kent left by the retirement of Imran Qayyum.
Add into that the arrival of Mohammad Amir in the second half of the campaign and there is every chance will skittle a few sides for well below par.
What are their biggest strengths?
Kent's top four, when at full strength, has all the ability and know-how to make a major impact.
Bell-Drummond, Crawley, Joe Denly and Billings are all adaptable, resilient and capable of making match-winning contributions both at the front and back-end of innings, and when they can field all four at the top of the order Kent will be an intimidating proposition for any opposition.
The overseas bowlers are potentially very prolific, too, but they will need support from the rest of the group.
Where might they have a weakness?
Billings could end up being missing for a chunk of the competition - firstly as cover for the England Test squad, then as part of the white-ball side for fixtures against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Kent are significantly more impressive with the keeper-bat available.
Not a single Kent bowler returned a tournament economy below seven in 2020, though Ahmad and Amir will be expected to improve on that this year.
What are their chances of reaching Finals Day?
You only need half a T20 side to fire to dominate. If the Kent big guns fulfil their potential, Spitfires might make an impact. We're going for quarter-finals.
Possible XI: Daniel Bell-Drummond, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Sam Billings, Jack Leaning, Alex Blake, Grant Stewart, Fred Klaassen, Matt Milnes, Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Amir
Fixtures: June 9 - Hampshire (h); June 11 - Middlesex (h); June 13 - Gloucestershire (h); June 15 - Somerset (a); June 16 - Glamorgan (a); June 20 - Essex (h); June 22 - Gloucestershire (a); June 25 - Essex (a); June 28 - Somerset (h); June 29 - Sussex (a); July 2 - Surrey (h); July 9 - Surrey (a); July 16 - Middlesex (a); July 18 - Sussex (h)
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