Lancashire Lightning, jo ek time par T20 Blast mein kaafi strong team thi, 2015 ke title ke baad se apni form dubara nahi laa paayi hai. 2024 ka season bhi disappointing raha — North Group se aage nahi badh paaye aur quarter-finals mein Sussex Sharks se haar gaye, wo bhi away game mein. Pressure games mein unka struggle clearly dikh raha hai. Aur to aur, kuch bade players jaa chuke hain — Daryl Mitchell (overseas batter), Matt Parkinson (ab Kent ke saath), aur Richard Gleeson (fast bowler) — sab chhod gaye. Former captain Dane Vilas bhi last summer mein chhod gaye, jis se leadership bhi weak ho gayi hai. England ke stars — Jos Buttler, Tom Hartley, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt aur Saqib Mahmood — ki availability bhi uncertain hai kyunki woh international aur The Hundred mein busy honge.
Par haan, Lancashire ne kuch smart signings kiye hain. New Zealand ke Tom Bruce aaye hain Daryl Mitchell ki jagah — unka T20 record strong hai, 30+ average aur 140 ke aaspaas strike rate ke saath. Aussie all-rounder Chris Green bhi aaye hain, jo batting aur off-spin dono mein value add karenge, especially middle overs mein. Richard Gleeson ki jagah young fast bowler Mitch Stanley ko laya gaya hai — raw pace ke saath aata hai. Ek aur naam hai Tom Aspinwall, jo abhi tak T20 debut nahi kiya hai, but wo ek wildcard ho sakta hai — aggressive bowling aur lower-order hitting ke liye jaana jata hai.
Question ye hai ki kya ye new squad, thode inexperienced hone ke bawajood, ek strong comeback kar payegi? 2023 mein Yorkshire se 15-run ki haar dikhati hai ki agar early wickets gir jaayein, to koi anchor nahi milta. Fans X (Twitter) pe frustrated hain — kuch log to bol rahe hain ki group stage se bhi qualify nahi karenge. “Unhappy club” ka atmosphere bola ja raha hai. Par T20 hai — kuch bhi ho sakta hai. Coach Dale Benkenstein, jo pehle Durham ke player rahe chuke hain, ab Yorkshire ke Ottis Gibson ke saath rivalry mein honge — July 11 aur July 17 ko hone waale Roses matches us rivalry ka test honge. Agar May 29 ko Emirates Old Trafford mein Worcestershire ke khilaf strong start mile, to redemption arc shuru ho sakta hai.
North Group – Kaun Kitne Paani Mein?
Birmingham Bears
2024: North Group ke top par the, par phir se quarter-final mein haar gaye.
Key Players: Ed Barnard (all-rounder, batting form mein), George Garton, aur Richard Gleeson (ex-Lancashire pacer).
Outlook: Squad deep hai, but crunch moments mein choke karte hain.
Wildcard: Jacob Bethell — young all-rounder, spin aur batting dono dangerous.
Derbyshire Falcons
2024: Inconsistent rahe, baarish ne kuch games kharab kiye.
Key Players: Mitch Wagstaff, Pat Brown (death overs specialist), aur Samit Patel (experience ka pitara).
Outlook: Thoda star power ki kami hai.
Wildcard: Zak Chappell — fast pace se impact player ban sakta hai.
Durham
2024: Quarter-finals tak gaye, par Surrey se haare.
Key Players: Ben Stokes (limited games khelenge), Ashton Turner, Nathan Sowter.
Outlook: Bowling strong hai, par batting depth weak lagti hai.
Wildcard: Graham Clark — explosive opener.
Leicestershire Foxes
2024: Mid-table finish, inconsistent batting aur rain ka impact.
Key Players: Rishi Patel, Rehan Ahmed (future star), Louis Kimber.
Outlook: Young aur talented hain, but thoda experience ki kami hai.
Wildcard: Sol Budinger — explosive opening option.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
2024: Knockouts miss kiye, kuch young talents dikhe but match-winning impact nahi.
Key Players: David Willey (captain), Sikandar Raza, Saif Zaib.
Outlook: Middle-order performance pe depend karega.
Wildcard: George Scrimshaw — pace se game change kar sakta hai.
Notts Outlaws
2024: Group stage strong tha, par Finals Day nahi pahunch paye.
Key Players: Ben Duckett, Olly Stone, Tom Moores.
Outlook: Balanced squad hai, experience bhi hai. 2020 ka title yaad rakhna chahiye.
Wildcard: Freddie McCann — clutch moments ka player ban sakta hai.
Worcestershire Rapids
2024: Group stage mein struggle kiya.
Key Players: Henry Nicholls (naya overseas batter), Adam Hose, Josh Cobb.
Outlook: Batting thik hai, par bowling mein depth nahi.
Wildcard: Ethan Brookes — young all-rounder, match mein impact daal sakta hai.
Yorkshire Vikings
2024: Mixed season, Lancashire ko 15-run se haraya (Dawid Malan ka 83 run ka special knock).
Key Players: Dawid Malan, Jordan Thompson, Dom Bess.
Outlook: Batting solid hai, bowling consistency chahiye.
Wildcard: Ben Cliff — young pacer, energy laa sakta hai.
North Group Ka Maha-Sangram
North Group open race hai. Birmingham Bears aur Notts Outlaws favorites hain depth ke wajah se. Lancashire agar naye signings ko quickly gel karwa le aur youngsters perform karein, to kuch kar ke dikha sakti hai. Unke early games — Worcestershire (May 29), Notts (May 31), aur Durham (June 1) — bahut important honge. Rain ka impact bhi ho sakta hai, jaise 2024 mein Derbyshire aur Notts ko hua tha (DLS par lead hone ke bawajood win nahi mila).
South Group ne kaafi dominate kiya hai — Somerset (2023), Gloucestershire (2024) — to North teams pe pressure hai. Lancashire ko apne Emirates Old Trafford home ground ka pura fayda uthana padega. Yorkshire ke khilaf Roses clashes unka season define kar sakta hai, aur coach Benkenstein vs Gibson ka angle bhi interesting hoga.
Lancashire ke paas 2025 T20 Blast mein naye players ke saath ek fresh start ka mauka hai. Overseas experience aur youth ka combo hai, but usme se consistency aur leadership ko nikalna hoga. North Group ek battlefield hai jahan Birmingham aur Notts pace set kar rahe hain. Yorkshire aur Northants bhi upset kar sakte hain. Jab Blast shuru hoga, sabki nazar Lancashire pe hogi — kya ye team 2015 wali magic dubara laa payegi, ya South ka rule continue rahega?
