2012 Friends Life t20
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Champions | Hampshire Royals (2nd title) |
| Participants | 18 |
| Matches played | 97 |
| Most runs | Phillip Hughes, Worcestershire (402) |
| Most wickets | Mitchell Starc, Yorkshire (21) |
| Official website | friendslife.co.uk/t20 |
The 2012 Friends Life t20 was the third season of the Friends Life t20, England's premier domestic Twenty20 competition. The competition ran from 12 June to 25 August 2012. The teams in the tournament remained the same as the previous season.
The schedule of the tournament had been widely criticised the previous season and the ECB had decided to reduce the minimum number of days in which a county would play from 92 to 86 for 2012. This meant a change in format from 2 groups of 9, from which the top 4 would qualify to the quarter-finals, to an arrangement with 3 groups of 6. The format of the knock-out rounds (quarter-finals) remain unchanged. This reduces the number of matches in the competition from 151 to 97 in a return to the format of the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Twenty20 Cup.
Finals day, which involves the two semi-finals and final, will be at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff for the first time. The winners and runners-up of the tournament will qualify for the 2012 Champions League Twenty20.
In the quarter-final match between Sussex and Gloucestershire, Scott Styris scored the equal third-fastest century in T20 history, after making 100 not out from 37 balls. In the same match, Gloucestershire's James Fuller conceded 38 runs from one over.
The 18 teams are divided into three groups of six and each group plays a double round-robin tournament. The top two teams from each group and the top two third-placed teams qualify for the knockout stage: a three-round single-elimination tournament. The top team from each group and the best second-placed team will each play in a different quarter-final at their home ground. A free draw determines the placement of the remaining four teams and the semi-final and final match-ups.
The following table lists the five highest team scores in the season.
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