WBBL's first decade celebrated ahead of season opener

The 10th season of the Weber WBBL is all set to get underway on Sunday, October 27 with a triple-header that will have last year's Grand Final rematch between Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat kick things off at the Adelaide Oval.

The venue will also host the game between the Melbourne Renegades and the Sydney Sixers, which will be followed by the Perth Scorchers hosting the Melbourne Stars at the WACA Ground.

But the WBBL festivities have already taken over Adelaide, with a timeline activation installed earlier this week to take fans through the history of the competition through the first decade.

At the official season launch event in the city on Saturday, the players who have been involved in the WBBL from the very beginning were honoured with a special cap presentation.

The players also reflected upon how the competition has developed over the 10 years and the role it has played in the growth of women's cricket in Australia and globally.

Sydney Sixers and Australian allrounder Ellyse Perry spoke of the quality of talent the WBBL has developed.

"I just think the scale and interest in the competition has just gone to a whole another level, coupled with that the incredible depth from talent that it's unearthed and developed," Perry said, terming the WBBL "the hardest competition to play in the world".

Perry's teammate Ashleigh Gardner, who was named the Young Gun of WBBL|02, highlighted the role of the tournament in providing a platform to young players.

"I think it's been a fantastic pathway for a lot of young players like myself," Gardner said.

"It was the stepping stone to playing for my country and I've certainly grown a lot since then.

"The Big Bash has changed a lot since then, from playing four games in three days to now playing at top tier venues."

While some of the smaller grounds have provided much-loved venues for the tournament over the years, more games are set to be played in the iconic grounds across the country with an expanded Stadium Series announced for Weber WBBL|10.

Speaking at the event, broadcasters and former Australian cricketers Mel Jones and Lisa Sthalekar hailed the move to the bigger venues.

"When, you think of WBBL|01, it was played alongside the men's Big Bash, so they had a chance to play at the big grounds," Sthalekar said. 

"Then we went separately and started to play more on suburban grounds and at different time of the year. But these players and pure athletes deserve to be on the biggest stage, and the Adelaide Oval, if you speak to any international cricketer, is right up there as one of their favourites, and I can't wait to see it absolutely packed tomorrow." 

Perry echoed this sentiment.

"I think, ultimately the goal for the competition is to play all of our matches in Tier 1 stadiums – hopefully at prime time during the week, for people to be able to tune in on free-to-air telly," Perry said.

"The Stadium Series is a great precursor to that and helps keep growing."

With the stage set for WBBL|10 season to begin, the teams have announced their final squads for the first weekend.

Here's a look at Sunday's fixtures and what to expect

Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Sunday October 27, 1:20pm local time (1:40 AEDT)

How to watch: Seven network, 7Plus, Foxtel and Kayo Sports

The squads:

Adelaide Strikers: Tahlia McGrath (c), Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Ellie Johnston, Eleanor Larosa, Katie Mack, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Orla Prendergast, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt

 

Brisbane Heat: Jess Jonassen (c), Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Nadine de Klerk, Charli Knott, Shikha Pandey, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Ruby Strange, Lauren Winfield-Hill

What to expect:

Back-to-back champions Adelaide Strikers will face their rivals from last year's final – Brisbane Heat – in front of a home crowd at the Adelaide Oval.

Captain Tahlia McGrath credited the local support for their title win last year and expects it to play a part in this season's opener.

"We love playing in front of a home crowd. Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide Oval, they always turn up," McGrath said.

"They're always in their blue. They're always nice and loud. So I think they're a huge factor as to why we won last year… that home crowd advantage, and yeah, they just get behind us."

When asked if the three-peat is on their mind, McGrath answered with an emphatic 'yes'.

Along with their core Australian unit, the Strikers will have South African captain Laura Wolvaardt, who led her team to the T20 World Cup Final earlier this month and finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer, as well as the exciting Irish allrounder Orla Prendergast. However, they will be missing Indian opening bat Smriti Mandhana, who is currently playing for her national side in the ODI series against New Zealand.

Just like the Strikers, the Heat will be without their Indian international Jemimah Rodrigues. However, Shikha Pandey, who is not part of the Indian side for the series, could make her WBBL debut.

Heat captain Jess Jonassen has picked the young allrounder Sianna Ginger as the one to look out for from her side, which has seen a few changes coming into the season.

Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Sunday October 27, 4:40pm local time (5:10pm AEDT)

How to watch: Seven network, 7Plus, Foxtel and Kayo Sports

The squads:

Melbourne Renegades: Sophie Molineux (C), Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Emma de Broughe, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Linsey Smith, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

 

Sydney Sixers: Ellyse Perry (c), Hollie Armitage, Caoimhe Bray, Sarah Bryce, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Sophie Ecclestone, Ashleigh Gardner, Elsa Hunter, Frankie Nicklin, Kate Pelle, Kate Peterson, Courtney Sippel

What to expect: 

Last year's wooden spooners Melbourne Renegades will be hoping to turn around their fortunes as they start their season with a game against the Sydney Sixers.

The Renegades will be bolstered by the return of their captain Sophie Molineux, who missed WBBL|09 with injuries and will now be playing her milestone 100th game for the side.

Her spin-twin Georgia Wareham, who was promoted to No.3 in the Australian side at the World Cup, is ready to bat wherever required in a line-up that has been strengthened by pre-season signings.

"I think picking up Deandra Dottin in the draft was really good for us. She performed really well over the World Cup," Wareham said.

"Getting Hayley Matthews back, she is a star allrounder, can do a bit of everything for us, which is really exciting ... Alice Capsey as well." 

However, the Renegades will not have the services of Matthews this weekend as she has been given extra time to recoup from the World Cup campaign.

The Sixers, similar to last season, have numerous injuries to deal with already, as they will be without three of their key local stars in Alyssa Healy, Maitlan Brown and Erin Burns. They will also be missing their marquee overseas signing and T20 World Cup MVP Melie Kerr, who is with the New Zealand team in India.

Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars

Where: WACA, Perth

When: Sunday October 27, 5:30pm local time (8:30pm AEDT)

How to watch: Foxtel and Kayo Sports

The squads:

Perth Scorchers: Beth Mooney (c), Chloe Ainsworth, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Ebony Hoskin, Amy Jones, Alana King, Carly Leeson, Lilly Mills, Chloe Piparo, Ni Made Putri Suwandewi

 

Melbourne Stars: Annabel Sutherland (c), Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Maisy Gibson, Hasrat Gill, Liv Henry, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Ines McKeon, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid

What to expect: 

The Scorchers will be led by Beth Mooney in absence of regular captain Sophie Devine, who, along with Indian international Dayalan Hemalatha, is competing in the bilateral ODI series between New Zealand and India.

This has left the door open for associate rookie Ni Made Putri Suwandewi to make her WBBL debut. The Indonesian allrounder currently has the best career economy rate in women's T20Is – a miserly 2.97. 

The Stars will be under the leadership of the newly announced full-time captain Annabel Sutherland. The club was the beneficiary of one of the biggest pre-season player movements, securing South Africa star Marizanne Kapp from the Sydney Thunder.

Speaking of the world-class allrounder, Sutherland said that the group was excited to have her around.

"We saw what she did throughout the World Cup, and she is rearing to go," Sutherland said. 

The Stars, like others, will be without their Indians too – Yastika Bhatia and Deepti Sharma.

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