The new year sees the start of New Zealand Cricket's new domestic Twenty20 competition - the HRV Cup.

The series will be launched at Blake Park, Mount Maunganui, on Saturday [2 January] as the Northern Knights host the Auckland Aces. The match, scheduled to start at 4.30pm, will be televised live on Sky Sport 1.

A full round of matches will be played on Sunday 3 and Monday 4 January, with Sunday's action including the Northern Knights playing 2009 champions, the Otago Volts, at Blake Park; while the Central Stags take on the Wellington Firebirds at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth. The Auckland Aces host the Canterbury Wizards at Colin Maiden Park, Auckland on Monday.

The domestic Twenty20 series has a new sponsor this year, with home ventilation specialist, HRV, signing a three-year sponsorship deal to support the exciting cricket format.

For teams and players there is also the incentive of a place in the lucrative Champions League for the series winner - an opportunity to play against some of the world's best exponents of the short-form game.

The HRV Cup will receive significant broadcast coverage, with 10 matches - one in every round - being televised live, along with the final on Sunday 31 January.

The series now has a significant international profile and several marquee overseas players have been signed up for the competition, including Pakistan's Yasir Arafat (Otago Volts), England's Owais Shah (Wellington Firebirds), Ravi Bopara (Auckland Aces) and Graham Napier (Central Stags), along with Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan (Northern Knights).

The Otago Volts will be aiming to defend the title they won last season. Volts captain Craig Cumming says his team is well aware of the pressure on the side to match last year's form. "It's a slightly different feel from last year and I think all the teams are competitively matched," he said. "We want to win and we have to ensure we continue on a winning roll during the HRV Cup."

Coach Mike Hesson says having BLACKCAPS Brendon McCullum, Neil Broom and Ian Butler available for the series will be a boost. "They were key players for us last year and this year we are looking for them to stand up," said Hesson. "Broom, Butler and Nathan McCullum are also very handy with the ball."

Arafat will also be a key figure in the plans, according to Hesson, but ultimately it will come down to doing the basics right. "The priority is getting the top order scoring significant runs and having the bowlers execute yorkers on demand,"

Last year's runners-up Canterbury Wizards have put the disappointment of last year's rained-off final behind them, according to coach Bob Carter, and are geared up for the campaign with a squad that blends new young talent with experienced campaigners like former BLACKCAP Craig McMillan and current Test bowler Chris Martin. "We've built on the squad this year which creates competition for places within the team," Carter said. "It's important to retain experience and getting Chris Martin back is good."

The Central Stags are hoping BLACKCAP Ross Taylor can replicate his recent international form - as well as his sparkling innings as a guest player for Victoria in Australia's Twenty20 competition earlier in the week. Taylor is looking forward to the HRV Cup series. "Twenty20 is always enjoyable and competitive," he said. "Having the BLACKCAPS back and the quality of overseas players will bring a new dimension."

In Wellington, the Firebirds are looking to end a long dry spell in the short version of the game. Firebirds captain Matthew Bell is confident there's a change of fortune ahead, despite injuries to some key players. "This is a chance for the younger guys of the squad to step up and perform," he said. "Hopefully we can win a few early games and get that momentum flowing." The prospect of a Champions League spot is not something he's focusing on for now, however. "The Champions League is a by-product of playing well. We'd like to make the finals then take it from there."

The Auckland Aces go into the HRV Cup on the back of a strong showing in the one-day competition, where they're currently five points clear of the field. Martin Guptill starred for the side with a stunning 157 earlier in the week - form he hopes to continue. "It's great to be back in form," he said. "Making 150 is a fantastic personal milestone and I've pushed hard to get big runs and it's great to finally get there. But there's a lot of Twenty20 cricket coming up and more room for guys to show their stuff."

One side with a number of BLACKCAPS to call on is the Northern Knights. Daniel Vettori will be in action, along with Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Peter McGlashan, Daniel Flynn and Brent Arnel. Knights skipper James Marshall said having these players back will add depth and experience to the side. "Adding Dan into the mix with the bat and ball adds an interesting dimension. It's going to be great to have him involved." Marshall said the side had done a lot of preparation after disappointing results last year. "For us it's about evolving and progressing the game no matter how we do. We'd just like to improve."