The Hundred is back and its sixth season promises to be the best yet!
MI London (formerly the Oval Invincibles) come into the competition seeking a fourth consecutive success while the likes of London Spirit have made some extremely eye-catching signings in a bid to try and bridge the gap.
The influx of investment into the tournament has resulted in three name changes and a whole bunch of different approaches from the eight teams competing this year.
We highlight three things to keep an eye out for when watching The Hundred over the next month or so...
Batting firepower at Trent Rockets
The varying approaches to squad building have made for a very intriguing off-season and the targeted approach made by the Trent Rockets just might be the most fascinating of all.
A clear, defined strategy to pack their batting order with players able to accumulate runs at a rapid rate has the potential to yield extremely positive results; especially at Trent Bridge.
The Nottinghamshire venue has seen the highest average score of any ground in the history of the competition and, if the Rockets are able to click into gear, then they could amass some seriously high totals when playing at home.
Just take a look at the T20 career strike-rate of some of the batters available to them: Finn Allen (177.74), Ben Duckett (140.24), Tom Banton (143.20), Aneurin Donald (168.83), Tim David (163.46), Louis Kimber (154.33).
It's going to be a lot of fun when Peter Moores' side are at the crease this season.
Bethell's Birmingham Phoenix captaincy
Jacob Bethell became England's all-time youngest captain when he led an inexperienced team to T20I series glory in Ireland last year and everything points towards him becoming skipper on a permanent basis in the future.
Therefore, him being handed the captaincy by Birmingham Phoenix could provide an important glimpse into the future.
The Edgbaston side are not at all fancied heading into the new campaign, meaning that Bethell's leadership skills are going to be tested to the max and, as well as shouldering tactical responsibilities, the 22-year-old will be expected to perform given he is arguably the Phoenix's best player.
The outgoing Liam Livingstone has left some big shoes to fill, the question is: is Bethell up to it yet?
All out pace in Manchester
The team behind the Manchester Super Giants recruitment strategy must quite like the look of England's seam attack given they could unleash a trio of Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker this summer.
Chuck George Scrimshaw and James Sales into the mix and sides making the trip to Old Trafford will have to be well prepared to repel a barrage of quick bowling.
The surface in Manchester has been known to be one of the liveliest in the country and you can almost guarantee that the production of a fast pitch will be priority number one for the Old Trafford ground staff.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
