All you need to know for the WNCL final

The Tasmanian Tigers will be out to claim their first Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) title when they host the South Australia Scorpions on Sunday at Blundstone Arena, with both sides in red-hot form as the season draws to a close.

The Scorpions are looking to reclaim the Ruth Preddey Cup for the first time since their sole triumph in 2014-15, with the title set to find a new home for the third consecutive season regardless of the result. 

Neither side is at full strength due to the ongoing ICC Women's ODI World Cup in New Zealand, however that hasn’t stopped them from producing some brilliant cricket, with new stars emerging in the international players' absence.

When is it?

Sunday March 27, from 10:30 AM AEDT.

The match was originally scheduled for Friday March 25, however, was moved back two days to allow the Tigers to host the final.

Where is it?

Blundstone Arena, Hobart. The match is open to the public and admission is free.

The game was postponed so the first-placed Tigers could utilise their home ground advantage after a season where they played the majority of their games in Melbourne and Canberra.

Tasmania haven’t played at home since December 19 last year and will be looking for a happy homecoming on Sunday, while the away fixture won't faze the Scorpions, who have been on the road for more than three weeks.

How can I watch?

A live broadcast will be available on cricket.com.au and Kayo from 10:30am AEDT Sunday.

Who's playing?

In many ways, for South Australia especially, this WNCL season has been about who hasn't been playing as much as who has, making SA's appearance in the final even more remarkable.

Star fast-bowling trio Megan Schutt, Darcy Brown and Tahlia McGrath are all away on international duties in New Zealand, as well as leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, leaving SA's bowling line-up decimated.

However, it has allowed the likes of Ellie Falconer (14 wickets) and Jemma Barsby (11 wickets) to star with the ball, while Courtney Webb (279 runs) and Bridget Patterson (264 runs) have been consistent with the bat.

On the other hand, Tasmania, who have missed Nicola Carey for the majority of the season also due to World Cup duties, have remained near full strength throughout the tournament.

Experienced batters Rachel Priest and Elyse Villani sit second and fifth respectively on this season's run-scorers list, while Sarah Coyte and Maisy Gibson (both 13 wickets) have done the damage with the ball.

Molly Strano's all-round capabilities for Tasmania see her loom as a potential X-factor throughout the contest, with the former Victorian spinner playing some match winning roles for her side during the season. 

How did the two teams get here?

Tasmania sealed their spot in the final last week with a comfortable victory against Victoria, however it came down to the last match of the season on Tuesday to determine their opponent.

Having defeated Victoria by 125 runs on Monday, securing a necessary bonus point in the process, SA leaped into second on the ladder from their eight matches.

However, the third-placed NSW Breakers – who had spent the majority of the season in the top two – needed only to beat the Queensland Fire on Tuesday to seal their place in the final.

But the Breakers were unable to chase down the 215 set by Queensland having collapsed to be 8-64 at one point of their run chase, meaning the Scorpions advanced.

It was a tight race for second spot, with SA, NSW, ACT and Queensland all finishing the season on four wins, however two bonus-point victories and points gained from incomplete games due to rain ultimately saw the Scorpions into the final.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are currently on a seven-game winning streak as they cruised into the final with three more wins than any of their opponents.

Their sole loss of the season came all the way back in their opening match against Queensland on December 17, with their imperious post-Christmas form seeing them enter the final as clear favourites.

What happened last time they met?

The Tigers and Scorpions played out a relatively high-scoring affair on March 11, with the Tasmanians running passing SA's total of 222 with more than 10 overs remaining.

The five-wicket win was closer than it seemed, however, with the game in the balance before a brilliant counterattacking 49 not out from Molly Strano guided the Tigers home.

Ellie Falconer staked her claim as an allrounder by making her maiden WNCL half-century in the first innings to help set the competitive total, but the experience of Strano and Villani (63 off 63 balls) sealed the win for Tassie.

History of the WNCL

The 'Ruth Preddey Cup' is on the line and will change hands for a third consecutive year, after reigning premiers the Queensland Fire didn’t qualify for this season's decider.

The trophy was introduced in the 1972-73 season and acknowledges one of the pioneers of the game in Preddey, a former NSW player and administrator, Australia team manager and sports editor of The Australian Women's Weekly.

Since the WNCL replaced the Australian Women's Cricket Championships in 1996-97, the NSW Breakers have dominated the competition by winning a remarkable 20 titles.

Tasmania only joined the competition in the 2010-11 season and are in their first final this weekend, while SA are looking for a second title after their inaugural triumph in 2015-16.

Tigers skipper Elyse Villani, who defected from Victoria at the start of the season is vying for her first WNCL championship in her eighth attempt on Sunday, having fallen short in the final six times with her former state since 2008-09 and once with WA in 2017-18.