The one-day league has been unable to find a replacement for Norwich Union, which has pulled out of the sport to focus on its £20m, five-year athletics programme.
While the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is optimistic that it will be able to replace the insurer with another title backer over the coming weeks, the fact that it is being forced to start the season without one indicates the tough times facing the sponsorship market.
Prior to Norwich Union's backing, the tournament was sponsored by AXA, which has drastically scaled back its sponsorship programme since it ended its association with the FA Cup in 2002.
The ECB is also hunting brands to join Npower as sponsors of its 20/20 Trophy, which will target family spectators when it launches in June.
Last week Npower agreed to extend its sponsorship of England's home Test matches for a further two years.
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