Ultimate Guide: All you need to know for WBBL|09

The WBBL is back! When does it start?

WBBL|09 will begin with a bang when Sydney Sixers host rivals Melbourne Stars under lights at North Sydney Oval on Thursday, October 19.

View the full WBBL|09 schedule here

The regular season will conclude on November 26 with a week of finals to follow, culminating with the final on December 2.

What else do I need to know about the schedule?

The WBBL returns to some of the country’s largest stadiums this year for the ‘Stadium series’ – a huge last weekend before finals that will kick off at Adelaide Oval on Friday, November 24 when the Heat play the Thunder before Adelaide Strikers host Perth Scorchers.

The Stars and the Renegades will meet in a Melbourne Derby at the MCG on Saturday, November 25 – the first WBBL match at the iconic ground since the league moved to a standalone window in 2019.

The SCG will host its first standalone WBBL matches on Sunday, November 26 when the Sixers and Thunder go head-to-head in the Sydney Smash, on a day which will also see the Hurricanes play the Strikers.

While the KFC BBL has been reduced to 44 games this season, the WBBL remains at 56 regular-season games plus three finals.

The competition has shifted away from the ‘festival weekend’ structure that has been a bedrock of the WBBL schedule since it went standalone in 2019, in a move aimed at ensuring teams play more home matches, more games in prime time and fewer neutral games.

WBBL|09 schedule includes 10 neutral matches, down from 25 last year, while every team will also play a home game inside the first nine days of the tournament.

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How can I watch?

As has been the case in previous years, fans in Australia will be able to watch all 59 matches live and free on either the Seven Network or cricket.com.au.

Of the 59 matches, 24 will be televised on free-to-air on Seven and simulcast on Foxtel and Kayo, while the remaining 35 games will be shown on Foxtel and Kayo Sports and also live streamed for free on cricket.com.au.

Tuning in via cricket.com.au and the CA Live app can be done via our match centre or Apple TV. It's simple to do and doesn't cost you a cent – CA Live app users tap 'More' in the bottom bar then 'Sign Up' in the top right. On desktop or mobile web, just click here, fill in a few basic details and enjoy some live cricket!

Meanwhile, ABC Radio will provide ball-by-ball commentary of games throughout the regular season.

What about live scores, news and highlights?

Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app will have live scores for every game of WBBL|08 as well as wicket replays in the match centre to go with extended video highlights, reports and interviews from our reporters throughout the competition.

You can also catch up on all the latest WBBL news via The Scoop podcast, where cricket.com.au's own Laura Jolly and Emily Collin discuss all the action, catch up with players and gain expert insights.

Subscribe where you get your pods!

How can I head along to watch?

Don’t hesitate, click HERE to grab your tickets!

What else is different to last year?

The inaugural overseas draft was held in early September as one part of a major shake-up to the way clubs have built their squads this season.

There are no longer restrictions in place dictating how many CA-contracted players can sign with each club, and every club was able to sign up to three overseas players (not including replacement players).

This is a change from the past eight seasons, where clubs could sign a maximum of five 'marquee players' who were either CA-contracted Australians or overseas players.

Alongside the draft, six international players also made use of the freshly introduced ‘direct nomination’ mechanism, which allowed them to bypass the draft and instead negotiate directly with a team.

That route came with a caveat that players who signed through direct nomination would have their salaries capped at $61,750, some way short of the 'platinum' level salary from the draft, which sits at $110,000.

The new contracting system is underpinned by an increase in total payment pools for the clubs, with the WBBL's payment pool doubled to more than $732,000 per team each year.

Top WBBL players now have the potential to earn more than $100,0000 (plus superannuation) per season, with the average retainer doubling from $26,900 to close to $54,200, and the minimum retainer increasing by 30 per cent.

Who should I look out for?

Every member of Australia’s triumphant T20 World Cup and Ashes-retaining squads will be in action in WBBL.

They are spread across all eight teams, so no matter which game you tune into, you’re likely to see a world champion Australian.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews returns to the Renegades in rare form, having scored a record-breaking 310 runs in three T20Is against Australia. She joins India captain Harmanpreet Kaur in red.

Run machine Laura Wolvaardt will again wear Strikers blue, joined by England pair Dani Gibson and Georgia Adams, who will both make their WBBL debuts.

Rising England quick Lauren Bell is another newcomer to the league, joining her national skipper Heather Knight at Sydney Thunder.

In exciting news, one of the world’s best players Natalie Sciver-Brunt is poised to make a much-anticipated return to the WBBL with Perth Scorchers, while fans will need to get used to seeing Marizanne Kapp in the lime green after the Thunder pounced on the South Africa superstar at the draft.

Each club can have a total of three overseas players, not counting replacement players.

WBBL|09 overseas players

Adelaide Strikers: Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Dani Gibson, Georgia Adams (both England)

Brisbane Heat: Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Bess Heath (England), Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Sarah Glenn (England, replacement)

Hobart Hurricanes: Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Bryony Smith (England)

Melbourne Renegades: Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Tammy Beaumont (England)

Melbourne Stars: Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier, Sophia Dunkley (all England)

Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Amy Jones (England), Lauren Winfield-Hill (England, six games) 

Sydney Sixers: Suzie Bates, Jess Kerr (both New Zealand), Chloe Tryon (South Africa), Linsey Smith (England, replacement)

Sydney Thunder: Lauren Bell, Heather Knight (both England), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka, replacement)

Who won last year?

After two final defeats in the last three seasons, Adelaide Strikers were final crowned WBBL champions after a thrilling victory over Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval.

The third time was the charm for the Strikers, who produced a superb bowling performance to upset hot favourites Sixers.

Windies allrounder Deandra Dottin was the star with bat and ball, hitting an unbeaten 52 off 37 balls to carry her team to 7-148 before taking the key wickets of Suzie Bates (10) and Ashleigh Gardner (0) to trigger a top-order collapse.

Aussie speedster Darcie Brown (2-15) combined with Dottin (2-30) to leave the Sixers top-order in tatters at 4-16 and while Ellyse Perry (33) and Nicole Bolton (32) tried to salvage their chase, there was no denying the Strikers; the Sixers ultimately bowled out for 138 on the final ball of the innings.

It sealed a famous 10-run win in front of 6,478 fans at North Sydney Oval and completed the Strikers’ redemption fairy tale after their heartbreaking loss to the Scorchers in last year’s decider.

How is my team looking?

Click the links below for a detailed preview of each club heading into the opening weekend, including the squads, the ins and outs and players to watch.

Adelaide Strikers | Brisbane Heat | Hobart Hurricanes | Melbourne Renegades | Melbourne Stars | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers | Sydney Thunder

BKT Big Bash Tipping is back! Be in the running for some epic prizes, or go for bragging rights with family and friends. Register now