Squads in as the run to the WBBL|06 finals begins

The Rebel WBBL regular season will culminate in a hectic 24 matches across just nine days starting Saturday, in what will be a grueling test of each team’s depth, recovery and adaptability.

Each team has six matches left to play and after eight washouts during the first two weekends of competition, all eight sides remain in the running for the finals, to be played at North Sydney Oval on November 25, 26 and 28.

Momentum will be critical, as will management of veteran players and those carrying niggles, and with few training sessions remaining, teams' preparation in the early stages of the tournament will now come to the fore.

Four games will be played on each of Saturday and Sunday across Showground Stadium and Drummoyne Oval, as the league celebrates the First Nations Festival of Cricket as part of NAIDOC week.

A top-of-the-table showdown between the undefeated Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder under lights on Saturday looms as the match of the round, while match-ups between the Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes will prove telling for those clubs sitting just outside the top four.

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Sydney Sixers

Saturday: v Hurricanes, Showground Stadium, 3.40pm AEDT

Sunday: v Strikers, Drummoyne Oval, 9.30am AEDT

Marizanne Kapp is hopeful of lining up for the Sixers this weekend after being taken to hospital midway through Wednesday’s game against the Scorchers due to an elevated heart rate.

Kapp, who has an existing heart condition, was due to see a doctor on Friday for a verdict on her availability. Her welfare will be the club’s top priority but her return would be a significant boost for the club as they look to bounce back after consecutive defeats to the Perth Scorchers.

"I don't think we've played awful cricket," allrounder Ashleigh Gardner said on Friday. "It was frustrating to lose both times to the Scorchers, they are a good side but it's something we need to improve on going forward."

Image Id: 709D8DEED6604EDEA889C6E7C8983234 Image Caption: Kapp was taken to hospital this week // Getty

Gardner pointed to her own form with the bat, as well as fellow top-order star Alyssa Healy's, as areas for improvement.

"(I’ve been) pretty inconsistent, it's been really frustrating … I play a pivotal role in this team and I probably let the side down a little bit through the Powerplay, I haven't played my role very well and both Alyssa Healy and I have spoken about that," she said.

Squad: Ellyse Perry (c), Sarah Aley, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Ashleigh Gardner, Lisa Griffith, Alyssa Healy, Jodie Hicks, Emma Hughes, Marizanne Kapp (SA), Angela Reakes, Dane Van Niekerk (SA)

Sydney Thunder

Saturday: v Stars, Showground Stadium, 7.05pm AEDT

Sunday: v Scorchers, Showground Stadium, 10.20am AEDT

Sydney Thunder coach Trevor Griffin is backing his team's batting depth to come to the fore in a blockbuster clash against the undefeated Melbourne Stars.

The Thunder were soundly beaten by the Brisbane Heat by eight wickets under lights on Wednesday, their second defeat of the season, but their coach believes they will have learnt from the experience.

"There's those days when things just don't go your way," Griffin said. "That's taking nothing away from the Heat – they bowled really well and were consistent in their areas. They attacked the stumps and made it difficult for us.

"The main thing for us, I believe, is we're clear about our scoring options when bowlers are doing that to us."

Squad: Rachael Haynes (c), Samantha Arnold, Sam Bates, Tammy Beaumont (Eng), Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail (SA), Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight (Eng), Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

Perth Scorchers

Saturday: v Renegades, Showground Stadium, 12.15pm AEDT

Sunday: v Thunder, Showground Stadium, 10.20am AEDT

Perth have gained momentum in WBBL|06 after back-to-back wins over the Sixers, but it seems they will be waiting a little longer for import Amy Jones to return from a quad injury. The England top-order star has returned to batting in the nets, so there are positive signs.

Sophie Devine is on track to become the first player to hit 100 WBBL sixes, currently sitting on 98, while Beth Mooney’s excellent form has been her rise to the top of the WBBL|06 run tally, with 287 at 71.75 from six innings.

"The next little bit will be a really interesting period for every team,. This is the time in the competition you want to get some consistency and gain some momentum leading into the back end when things get pretty tight," Mooney said on Wednesday as the Scorchers named an unchanged squad.

Squad: Sophie Devine (c)(NZ), Megan Banting, Jemma Barsby, Samantha Betts, Nicole Bolton, Piepa Cleary, Lauren Down (NZ), Sarah Glenn (Eng), Heather Graham, Emma King, Beth Mooney, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo

Melbourne Stars

Saturday: v Thunder, Showground Stadium, 7.05pm AEDT

Sunday: v Renegades, Showground Stadium, 1.45pm AEDT

Melbourne Stars will be out to continue their unbeaten run when they take on the second-ranked Thunder in a huge Saturday night encounter.

Washouts aside, the Stars have yet to be fully tested this tournament, but will face a Thunder team determined to bounce back from a heavy defeat to the Heat.

Squad: Meg Lanning (c), Katherine Brunt (Eng), Lucy Cripps, Sophie Day, Bhavi Devchand, Mignon Du Preez (SA), Holly Ferling, Tess Flintoff, Nicole Faltum, Alana King, Anna Lanning, Erin Osborne, Nat Sciver (Eng), Annabel Sutherland, Elyse Villani

Melbourne Renegades

Saturday: v Scorchers, Showground Stadium, 12.15pm AEDT

Sunday: v Stars, Showground Stadium, 1.45pm AEDT

The Renegades have had a torrid time of it on the injury-front in WBBL|06 but are hopeful pace bowler Lea Tahuhu will soon make a return from the side strain that has kept her sidelined through the first half of the season.

Tahuhu was bowling on the outfield prior to the Renegades’ match on Tuesday and captain Amy Satterthwaite said she was optimistic a return was not too far away.

With one win on the board, the Renegades will hope to elevate themselves off the bottom of the table when they meet the Scorchers and in-form local rivals the Stars in a derby away from home.

Squad: Amy Satterthwaite (c), Makinley Blows, Rebecca Carter, Elly Donald, Josie Dooley, Erin Fazackerley, Ella Hayward, Lizelle Lee, Carly Leeson, Rosemary Mair, Sophie Molineux, Courtney Neale, Molly Strano, Courtney Webb, Amy Yates

Brisbane Heat

Saturday: v Strikers, Drummoyne Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

Sunday: v Hurricanes, Drummoyne Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

The Heat snapped a four-game losing streak in style on Wednesday night, winning by eight wickets with 21 balls to spare, to post their second victory of the season.

After a first-up win over the Scorchers on the first day of the tournament, two washouts before the four defeats made it seem an even longer time between drinks.

But with every side still to play six matches in the regular season – all to be played across nine hectic days from Saturday – the Heat may have found momentum at exactly the right time.

Squad: Jess Jonassen (c), Maddy Green, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Laura Kimmince, Nadine de Klerk, Charli Knott, Georgia Prestwidge, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll

Adelaide Strikers

Saturday: v Heat, Drummoyne Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

Sunday: v Sixers, Drummoyne Oval, 9.30am AEDT

West Indies star Stafanie Taylor will make her return from a quadricep injury this weekend, but the topsy-turvy injury news continues for the Strikers, with captain Suzie Bates again sidelined by a shoulder injury.

Bates returned from a shoulder strain on Tuesday but re-injured the joint throwing during the Strikers' fielding innings and will miss at least the next two matches.

Squad: Megan Schutt (c), Darcie Brown, Sarah Coyte, Katie Mack, Tahlia McGrath, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Katie Perkins (NZ), Alex Price, Stafanie Taylor (WI), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt (SA)

Hobart Hurricanes

Saturday: v Sixers, Showground Stadium, 3.40pm AEDT

Sunday: v Heat, Drummoyne Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

The pressure is on for the seventh-ranked Hurricanes as they fight to keep their season alive.

They will be buoyed by a narrow nine-run win over the Renegades on Tuesday but have also found themselves on the wrong end of several narrow defeats, including a one-run loss to Sydney Thunder last weekend.

But it will be a tough task against a Sixers outfit desperate for a win after consecutive defeats, while the Heat will be buoyed by their drought-breaking victory over the Thunder.

Squad: Corinne Hall (c), Nell Bryson Smith, Nicola Carey, Brooke Hepburn, Erica Kershaw, Hayley Matthews (WI), Sasha Moloney, Rachel Priest (NZ), Chloe Rafferty, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Emma Thompson, Chloe Tryon (SA), Belinda Vakarewa