The Charlotte Edwards Cup gets under way for a third season on Thursday when Sunrisers and Central Sparks meet in the first game of the 2023 competition.

Vipers do not begin until Tuesday with a home fixture against South East Stars, the inaugural winners in 2021.

Western Storm have a chance of early headway with two games in three days.

The 23-day competition is due to end with Finals Day at New Road, Worcester on Saturday, 10 June.

Opening fixtures

18 May: Sunrisers v Central Sparks (Chelmsford, 18:30 BST)

19 May: Northern Diamonds v Western Storm (Headingley, 18:30 BST)

20 May: South East Stars v The Blaze (Beckenham, 14:30 BST)

21 May: Western Storm v Thunder (Taunton 14:30 BST)

23 May: Central Sparks v Northern Diamonds (Edgbaston, 11:00 BST)

23 May: Southern Vipers v South East Stars (Falkland CC, Newbury, 11:00 BST).

The teams

Southern Vipers

2022: Winners

Captain: Georgia Adams

Overseas player: Nicole Faltum (Australia)

2022 top run-scorer: Danni Wyatt (221)

2022 top wicket-taker: Charlie Dean (12)

Can the Vipers repeat their 2022 form? Last year they were flawless in the Charlotte Edwards Cup – seven games, seven wins – but heavy defeats by Sunrisers and Central Sparks early on in this year’s 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy have raised eyebrows. On paper they are still as strong as ever, especially if Wyatt, Dean and Bell fire.

Key winter moves:

Out have gone key players Paige Scholfield, Tara Norris and the retired Carla Rudd but Linsey Smith (Diamonds) adds high-quality with her left-arm spin and Rhianna Southby (South East Stars) has already shown off her quick hands behind the stumps in the 50-over tournament. Melbourne Stars’ Nicole Faltum provides decent cover.

Player to watch: Maia Bouchier

Having been unused in the Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, the batter has been reminding England onlookers of her brutal best already this summer – with two fifties already. Probably the best cover driver outside of Laura Wolvaadt in women’s cricket and one of the safest pair of hands in the game.

Central Sparks

2022: Beaten finalists

Captain: Eve Jones

Overseas player: Erin Burns (Australia)

2022 top run-scorer: Amy Jones (289)

2022 top wicket-taker: Grace Potts (12)

Will the arrival of Erin Burns help the Sparks get over the line and clinch the trophy after their near miss last season?

With England stars Amy Jones and Issy Wong likely to be available, Sparks will have plenty of proven top-level ability to help bring the best out of the emerging talent around them.

Key winter moves:

The signing of vastly experienced Australian all-rounder Burns will inject quality and nous into all department of the side.

Player to watch:

Emily Arlott has followed Olly Stone’s route from Norfolk to the West Midlands and may well emulate his rise into the England set up. An aggressive seamer who keeps the batters under pressure, the 25-year-old will be key to the Sparks’ hopes.

South East Stars

2022: Semi-finals

Captain: Bryony Smith

2022 top run-scorer: Aylish Cranstone (235)

2022 top wicket-taker: Bryony Smith (11)

England seamer Tash Farrant is being eased back gently following a serious back injury last season, having bowled only 12 overs in four RHFT appearances so far. A star-studded batting line-up should guarantee runs, but a fit and firing Farrant would be key.

Key winter moves:

Paige Scholfield moved to Stars from Southern Vipers over the winter and already has two centuries, her first-ever in List-A cricket, among 300-plus runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The 27-year-old South African all-rounder will look to carry that confidence into the shorter format.

Player to watch:

Sophia Dunkley had an underwhelming Women’s Indian Premier League stint, but her unbeaten hundred for Stars in their RHFT defeat by Northern Diamonds this week suggests she may have found her mojo. A shoo-in for England these days, if Dunkley is at her explosive best, Stars could be tournament favourites.

Northern Diamonds

2022: Second (Group B)

Captain: Hollie Armitage

Overseas player: Chloe Tryon (South Africa)

2022 top run-scorer: Hollie Armitage (151)

2022 top wicket-taker: Katie Levick (15)

Can the Diamonds add the missing piece in their jigsaw?

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy champions last year, they are yet to taste success in T20 cricket.

Having been beaten finalists in 2021, they failed to reach Finals Day last year – and targeting this competition formed a big part of their winter preparation.

Key winter moves:

Jenny Gunn (retired) and Linsey Smith (Vipers) have departed, but the signing of South Africa international all-rounder Tryon adds experience and firepower to a youthful looking squad. Batter Rebecca Duckworth has signed from Thunder, while Scotland Under-19s captain and all-rounder Katherine Fraser has joined.

Player to watch:

England A star Bess Heath could further boost her reputation. The Diamonds back-up wicketkeeper to Lauren Winfield-Hill, the pair could open the batting together. Heath, 21, mixes power with innovation. She spent part of the winter with Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash. It would be no surprise to see her graduate through to senior international cricket.

Western Storm

2022: Third (Group A)

Captain: Sophie Luff

2022 top run-scorer: Sophie Luff & Georgia Hennessy (158)

2022 top wicket-taker: Danielle Gibson & Claire Nicholas (6)

Will Storm be able to score sufficient runs to render themselves competitive? A batting line-up already been weakened by the departure of Georgia Hennessy, Fi Morris and Katie George, could be further denuded by the absence of former England captain Heather Knight and talismanic skipper Sophie Luff, who is recovering from a fractured thumb and could miss the start of the campaign.

Key winter moves:

Hit by the departure of several established players, including star bowler Anya Shrubsole, Storm replenish their ranks with Ireland international Orla Prendergast to play in all competitions for the entirety of May and June. The 20-year-old all-rounder has already made a positive impact in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and her continued good form will be key for Storm in the shorter format.

Player to watch:

Appointed vice captain this year, all-rounder Dani Gibson has finally come of age. Selected as a travelling reserve for the England team at last winter’s ICC T20 World Cup, the Bristolian has emerged as a pivotal figure for Storm. Gibson’s clever variations render her a key performer, whether with the new ball or bowling at the death, while her ability to clear the field and find the boundary, and up the scoring rate, means she is a force to be reckoned with at number five in the batting line-up. She may best be deployed as a pinch-hitter higher up the order.

Thunder

2022: Third (Group B)

Captain: Ellie Threlkeld

Overseas player: Deandra Dottin (West Indies)

2022 top run-scorer: Emma Lamb (191)

2022 top wicket-taker: Hannah Jones (9)

Can Thunder turn around a frustrating start to the summer in which they have gone winless in their first five 50-over matches – two defeats, a tie and two games rained off.

But they have not yet made it beyond the group stages of any regional competition as they again seek their maiden title. It is hoped that England trio Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone and Emma Lamb will be available for the vast majority of this competition ahead of the Ashes.

Key winter moves:

Six players have joined Thunder for 2023, including three on full-time contracts, all-rounders Naomi Dattani and Fi Morris and seamer Tara Norris, who won this competition with Vipers last year. Steph Butler and Hannah Rainey have added depth to the squad but are yet to debut. Former West Indies star all-rounder Dottin has returned.

Player to watch:

A nickname of “The World Boss” indicates you have to keep an eye on Dottin. A canny seamer and an exhilarating batter, she has to perform if Thunder are to challenge. Bajan Dottin scored the first-ever women’s T20 international century when she crashed 112 off 45 balls at the 2010 World Cup for West Indies v South Africa.

Sunrisers

2022: Fourth (Group A)

Captain: Kelly Castle

Overseas player: Dane van Niekerk (South Africa)

2022 top run-scorer: Naomi Dattani (157)

2022 top wicket-taker: Kelly Castle & Grace Scrivens (7)

The only way is up for Sunrisers, having lost all six of their T20 fixtures last year and 10 of their last 11. Developing a more ruthless mentality will be crucial. Last season they surrendered winning positions too often, most notably against Western Storm when four overthrows presented their opponents with a last-ball victory.

Key winter moves:

Dane van Niekerk’s decision to call time on her international career in March was eagerly welcomed in the Sunrisers camp, with the former South Africa captain quickly snapped up for the entire tournament. Sunrisers will hope Van Niekerk’s glittering T20 record – with 65 wickets and close on 2,000 runs for her country – can galvanise their campaign.

Player to watch:

Van Niekerk’s arrival brings another option to an already well-stocked spin cabinet, but the stand-out vintage could well be leg-spinner Abtaha Maqsood. The Scotland international has already caught the eye with her flight and variation in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy this season and should prove an effective weapon in the post-powerplay overs.

The Blaze (formerly Lightning)

2022 finish: Fourth (Group B)

Captain: Kirstie Gordon

Overseas players: Nadine de Klerk (South Africa)

2022 top run-scorer: Tammy Beaumont (136)

2022 top wicket-taker: Piepa Cleary (7)

Under their previous identity as Lightning, the East Midlands side won only one match in 12 over the first two seasons of the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the test will be to see if their improvement in 50-over cricket – they are early-season leaders in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – can translate to the shorter format.

Key winter moves:

The lack of top-level experience that worked against Lightning has been addressed, with England’s Sarah Glenn and Nat Sciver-Brunt joining team-mate Tammy Beaumont in the Blaze squad along with South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who was part of the team that knocked out England at the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup in February.

Player to watch:

Nadine de Klerk’s contribution to The Blaze’s great start in the 50-over competition has included a career-best seven for 33 against Northern Diamonds and she brings a fine T20 pedigree, having helped South Africa reach the final of the T20 World Cup after taking the key wicket of new team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final defeat of England.

Words supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network.