Surrey are the team to beat again. Photo: PA/John Walton
The County Championship season starts on Friday and there will be plenty of quality players on show, with a number of England internationals set to play most of the first six rounds.
Telegraph Sport pundits predict , how the season will end and which players to keep an eye on this campaign.
Championship winner
Nick Holt: Durham look set for a serious title challenge straight from promotion. Essex did it in 2017, so why not?
Scyld Berry:This is Surrey for a hat-trick because they are simply so well stocked with batsmen and seamers.
Will McPherson: Durham look strong, especially with more Ben Stokes now available, but the three-peat outside of Surrey is hard to come by. There's a reason no team has done this since the seventies, but the emotions surrounding Alec Stewart's departure will rule Surrey.
Tim Wigmore:It will be interesting to see how Durham fare in Division One, but Surrey's all-round quality, bolstered by the availability of Ollie Pope and Ben Fox, means they remain favorites.
Relegated and promoted
Nick Holt: Kent and Worcestershire look like the weakest teams on paper and will lose. Yorkshire and Middlesex will put their (and very different) problems behind them to return to the top flight.
Scyld Berry:Kent, who just survived last year, and Worcestershire, not those who are successful in this format will be demoted. Yorkshire, who were supported by Harry Brooke and Joe Root at the start of the season, and Middlesex, who were relegated last year, will be promoted.
Will McPherson:Alas, there certainly aren't any in Worcestershire. enough to stay in a decent looking top flight. Even with the excellent addition of Matt Parkinson, Kent probably lack the precision in attack to survive. Yorkshire look the strongest team and Sussex may have just turned the corner under Paul Farbrace.
Tim WigmoreWorcestershire and Kent will be relegated. Yorkshire look to be the outstanding team in the second division; the new partnership of Ollie Robinson and Jayden Seals could mean Sussex join them.
Player of the Season 
Ken Durham's Ollie Robinson making his way into the England squad? Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster
Nick Holt: Olly Robinson (the one from Durham). Too early for England, but at the heart of a strong team.
Skill Berry: Surrey's Jamie Smith as a batsman as long as he is not burdened by wicket-keeping. At the moment, he and Ben Fawkes are sitting well on the same team.
Will McPherson:Ed Barnard continues to show good results. Warwickshire don't look too strong to me, so his all-round ability could be the difference between survival and relegation.
Tim Wigmore:Liam Dawson remains a formidable all-rounder. and should play every game for Hampshire.
Breakthrough star
Nick Holt:Warwickshire's Dan Moseley hasn't made many runs for the England Lions this winter but he has impressed some very good umpires.
Scyld Berry :Gloucestershire's Ollie Price. The younger of the two Price brothers is a good batsman and utility player with a fine temperament.
Will McPherson:Sussex's James Coles finally turned 20 this week and made his first-class debut in 2020. A left-arm spin batsman (and working with Graeme Swann in England), Coles cemented his place last year and is ready to strike. included.
Tim Wigmore:Tawanda Muyaye, 23, can realize his huge potential with regular County Championship appearances.
Top Scorer 
Essex have signed Dean Elgar to a three-year contract. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Davidson
Nick Holt: Keaton Jennings, whose England days may be behind him, remains a class act at county level as Lancashire captain.
Scyld Berry:Jake Libby as Worcestershire's innings improve (when New York The road is drying up) and he has a huge role to play if they are to survive.
Will McPherson:Dean Elgar is a very tricky player for Essex now that Alastair Cook retired. I'll just cancel Alex Lees.
Tim Wigmore:The stunning Leus du Plooy should thrive after moving to Middlesex from Derbyshire and could make up for the lack of an overseas transfer.
Leading Wicket Taker
Nick Holt:Not so. No matter what time of year the games are played, Simon Harmer collects wickets. An Essex phenomenon.
Scyld Berry:There's only one chef left in Essex, but Sam Cooke is one of the most consistent cutters in the country.
Will McPherson:Northants' Jack White took 50 wickets in Division One last year and will take even more in Division Two. The latest in a line of outstanding late-blooming seamers.
Tim Wigmore:Simon Harmer. A boring answer, but no man of his quality can expect to play that many games or have that big of a role.
The start of the county season will see a return with England Test stars galore class='tmg-particle embed wrp-f27d92be-5015-4935-b1de-0a70f23eeddb' title='Chief Cricket Writer : Scyld Berry' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no' Frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: relative; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>
Sport at the highest level is all about big names and personalities, and even if the County Championship is below international level, this season will be given a glamor it doesn't have was. in recent years thanks to the presence of English Test players.
Usually the Indian Premier League absorbs England's best cricketers and eats away at the championship during April and May, but not this year. If Jonny Bairstow reads the signs ahead of the first Test against the West Indies on July 10 and retires from the format, all current England players will be playing for their counties at some stage in the coming weeks.
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