After a brief break from T20 cricket, Surrey return to the Vitality Blast to take on Warwickshire Bears and Sussex Sharks.
Sam Curran’s side will travel to Hove to face Sussex, who sit two places below them in fifth. Play will commence at 7pm and provide Surrey with an opportunity to topple Essex’s place, at two on the table.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
Both matches will be broadcast live on each oppositions YouTube channel. Surrey’s social media channels will provide updates and video clips, with a written report and highlights available at the end of play.
SQUAD UPDATES
Bryony Smith’s side welcomes newbie Anna Buckle into the squad and Kalea Moore returns from England A duties.
Tom Lawes returns to the T20 squad and Sean Abbott sits out this fixture while Surrey look to manage their players’ workloads. Josh Philippe makes his first appearance in a Surrey squad as the Three Feathers’ newly announced overseas.
WARWICKSHIRE BEARS
Captain: Georgia Davis
Overseas players: Georgia Redmayne (Australia, all)
2025 finish: finalists
2025 leading run-scorer: Davina Perrin (385)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Millie Taylor (22)
Key winter moves: Australia wicketkeeper/batter Georgia Redmayne has been signed and will bring valuable experience and nous to a squad which is highly talented but still relatively young and inexperienced.
The big question: Can Warwickshire’s squad cope with injuries to key personnel which will affect them in the group stage? Katie George (abductor) and Davina Perrin (hamstring), two integral members of the first-choice top order, will miss at least the early group games. With Issy Wong and Em Arlott away on England duty, the Bears’ squad depth will be tested.
Wildcard watch: Meg Austin – an aggressive top-order batter who scores quickly with a range of strokes, the 21-year-old from Staffordshire is a ‘proper’ batter who can also improvise. Quick between the wickets, she is capable of delivering exciting, match-turning innings.
Final thought: The Bears did brilliantly to finish as runners-up in the Blast last year. They finished third in the group stage to reach Finals Day at which they beat much-fancied Blaze in the semi before losing to Surrey in the final. To have done all that has raised expectations among their supporters this time round, Can the Bears rise to the challenge of higher expectations…as successful teams must do?
SUSSEX
Captain: Tymal Mills
Overseas players: Daniel Hughes (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Six (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024)
Titles: One (2009)
2025 finish: 6th in South Division
2025 leading run-scorer: James Coles (397)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Nathan McAndrew (23)
Key winter moves: The competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker Danny Briggs has returned to Hove and his experience will be crucial while two other recruits – former Gloucestershire all-rounder Tom Price and off-spinning batter Jack Leaning – have good records in the Blast.
The big question: Sussex’s bowling options look plentiful and varied despite the departure of last season’s leading wicket-taker Nathan McAndrew. But there were question marks around the batting in 2025 with too much reliance placed on James Coles with no one else averaging above 27. A collective improvement in that area is needed.
Wildcard watch: Charlie Tear came of age in the 50-over tournament last year and the keeper-batter might get an extended opportunity this summer to show he has the transferable skills to flourish in the shorter white-ball format.
Final thought: This is Sussex’s best chance of silverware. They have a squad with a lot of experience – Mills and Briggs in particular – as well as some seriously talented youngsters, like the £390k Hundred pick James Coles, who are potential match-winners in their own right. A better collective batting effort than 2025 should enable them to make the knockout stages as a bare minimum, although director of cricket Paul Farbrace is targeting a third appearance at Finals Day in six years.
