England’s T20 Blast will have 18 teams in the competition. All teams will fight each other to get the title. The teams have signed several superstar players from different countries for the season. But the question here is how many overseas players a county can field in a Blast game? Let’s get into this blog to find the answer.
Maximum Number of Overseas Players Allowed In A Blast Game
A maximum of two foreign players can feature for a county in a T20 Blast match. There’s no restriction on the minimum number of overseas players. A team can go with all 11 local players in a match. They can also go with one or two foreign players in the playing XI.
Why Are Only 2 Overseas Players Allowed?
In the top cricket leagues like the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, a team can play with 4 overseas players in a match. Some leagues even allow 5 International players. A new league, named DP World ILT20 League, was launched earlier this year. This tournament allowed as many as 9 foreign players in a team.
Then, why does the T20 Blast only allow 2 overseas players per side? There are a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, the number of teams in this competition is 18, which is significantly more than in any other league. If 4 foreign players were allowed per side, more than 72 International players must be present in the league.
This number is quite ambitious for the Blast competition. Secondly, it’s more of a domestic tournament than a franchise league. So, the prime purpose of this event is to give chances to the local players. That’s why we often see only one or even no overseas cricketer being part of a county side in a match.
Top Overseas Signings for T20 Blast 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan are the two top players from Pakistan to have signed for this year’s Blast competition. Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn from Australia will also be a part of the league. From New Zealand, Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, and Michael Bracewell have been roped in. Sunil Narine, Paul Stirling, and David Wiese are the other notable names.
Full List of All the Overseas Players for T20 Blast 2023
Let’s take a look at the signings of all the teams for this year’s Vitality Blast:
1. Derbyshire
Suranga Lakmal
Haider Ali
2. Durham
David Bedingham
Tristan Stubbs
Matthew Kuhnemann
3. Essex
Simon Harmer
Daniel Sams
4. Glamorgan
Colin Ingram
Michael Neser
5. Gloucestershire
Zafar Gohar
6. Hampshire
Kyle Abbott
Mohammad Abbas
Ben McDermott
Nathan Ellis
7. Kent
George Linde
Kane Richardson
8. Lancashire
Dane Vilas
Colin de Grandhomme
Daryl Mitchell
9. Leicestershire
Wiaan Mulder
Naveen-ul-Haq
Peter Handscomb
10. Middlesex
Pieter Malan
11. Northamptonshire
Chris Lynn
Sam Whiteman
Andre Tye
Lance Morris
12. Nottinghamshire
Dane Paterson
Colin Munro
Shaheen Shah Afridi
13. Somerset
Peter Siddle, Matt Henry
14. Surrey
Sean Abbott
Sunil Narine
15. Sussex
Shadab Khan
Nathan McAndrew
16. Warwickshire
Hasan Ali
Glenn Maxwell
Paul Stirling
17. Worcestershire
Michael Bracewell
Mitchell Santner
18. Yorkshire
Shan Masood
David Wiese
