Charlotte Edwards Cup 2022: Format, groupings, and all you need to know

The second edition of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, England Women’s domestic T20 cricket tournament, is all set to begin on May 14. Named after former England captain, the tournament will witness eight teams squaring off in two double robin format, which will be followed by the finals day. The competition will clash with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, one of England’s oldest 50-over domestic cricket tournaments.

The Charlotte Edwards Trophy will go on for almost a month with the finals scheduled on June 11, 2022. Starting May 14, the group stage games will be played till June 5 and will be followed by the knock-out stage in the form of a semi-final match, to be played in Northampton. The teams will be divided into two groups according to their finishes in the previous edition. In a round-robin style, each team will play six group matches, meeting the other three teams in its pool twice. The group winner with the most points will go into the final, while the other group winner and second best-placed team will face off in the semi-final.

“Lottie is a true legend of English cricket. She led from the front as a player and she’s now giving back to the game as a coach, helping our domestic players have the best chance of potentially going on to represent the national side. The players who will compete in the Charlotte Edwards Cup can now realistically aspire to stepping up to compete on the international stage, and that’s truly exciting,” ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor was quoted by The Cricketer.

The first season of the tournament was won by the South East Stars as they made their way into the finals by getting maximum points in the group stage. They defeated the Northern Diamonds in the finals. The pool of players will include a lot more talent this season as England has seen many faces making it big at the one-of-a-kind tournament -The Hundred.

“It’s a huge honor to have my name attached to the competition. The regional players who’ll take part in the competition are at the beginning of such an exciting journey, and the pathway has progressed and developed so far since I was in their position,” said Charlotte Edwards

Here are the eight teams in the tournament:

Group A:

Central Sparks

South East Stars

Sunrisers

Western Storm

Group B:

Lightning

Northern Diamonds

North West Thunder

Southern Vipers