[1] Carlow returned to the Leinster Championship for the first time since 2016, replacing Offaly who were relegated in 2018.

[4][5] Participating counties (5): Carlow, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Wexford Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once.

Participating counties (5): Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once.

Participating counties (5): Antrim, Kerry, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath Group stage (10 matches): Each team plays each other once.

The Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up advance to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals.

Preliminary quarter-finals (2 matches): The 3rd placed teams from the Leinster and Munster championships play the Joe McDonagh Cup champions and runners-up.

The Joe McDonagh champions, Laois, face third-placed Leinster team, Dublin, in the first preliminary quarter final, while the runners-up, Westmeath, meet Cork, the third-placed team from Munster, in the other preliminary quarter final.

In the knockout stage, teams from the provincial round-robin series will not have home advantage, if avoidable.

RTÉ, the national broadcaster in Ireland, will provide the majority of the live television coverage of the hurling championship in the third year of a five-year deal running from 2017 until 2021.

The panel consisting of Brendan Cummins, Cyril Farrell, Jackie Tyrell, Ursula Jacob, Graeme Mulcahy, Derek McGrath and Enda Rowland picked Noel McGrath as the Sunday game player of the year while Kilkenny’s Adrian Mullen was selected as Young Hurler of the Year.