Nottinghamshire have an extra incentive to achieve success in this season’s Twenty20 Cup after the ECB announced that plans have been approved for a two-division Premier20 competition next year.

Teams finishing in the top three of the Twenty20 Cup will enter the top division of the new competition in the inaugural season with three teams being promoted and relegated each year thereafter.

The competition will be staged in June with Champions League places on offer to the most successful teams.

The intricacies of the development will be discussed at further ECB meetings but a ruling enabling additional overseas players to be recruited for the duration of the tournament is expected.

Notts Outlaws begin their Twenty20 Cup campaign against Durham Dynamos at Trent Bridge on Monday 25 May and will also face Lancashire Lightning, Yorkshire Carnegie, Derbyshire Phantoms and Leicestershire Foxes.