Adelaide Strikers are aiming for a hat-trick of titles but it looks a very even playing field among the squads

Tristan Lavalette26-Oct-2024When does it take place?The WBBL begins on Sunday with a triple header starting with back-to-back games at the Adelaide Oval. Reigning champions Adelaide Strikers, who are aiming for a hat-trick of titles, and Brisbane Heat square off in a repeat of last season’s classic final before Melbourne Renegades takes on Sydney Sixers. Perth Scorchers plays Melbourne Stars at the WACA in the later fixture.The regular season finishes on November 24 before a week of finals concludes with the decider on December 1.What is the tournament structure?This season’s WBBL has been reduced to 40 games plus finals to bring it in line with the BBL and fit within a burgeoning women’s cricket calendar. Each club will play 10 games – down from 14 last season – during the regular season.Related

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The three-game finals format used since 2021 remains in place with the top four teams from the regular season to qualify.The team that finishes top after the regular season will host the final. The third and fourth placed teams will meet in the Knockout on November 27 with the winner to travel and face the team that finished second on the ladder two days later for a place in the final.The Knockout final will be hosted by the third-placed team in a tweak from previous years where the second-ranked team hosted both elimination games on consecutive days.How the overseas draft played outAdelaide Strikers: Laura Wolvaardt, Smriti Mandhana (pre-sign), Orla Prendergast
Brisbane Heat: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Nadine de Klerk (pre-sign)
Hobart Hurricanes: Danni Wyatt, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee (pre-sign)
Melbourne Renegades: Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews (pre-sign), Alice Capsey
Melbourne Stars: Deepti Sharma, Marizanne Kapp (pre-sign), Yastika Bhatia
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine (pre-sign), Amy Jones, D Hemalatha
Sydney Sixers: Sophie Ecclestone, Amelia Kerr (pre-sign), Hollie Armitage
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight, Shabnim Ismail, Chamari Athapaththu (pre-sign), Georgia AdamsWhat about their availability?There’s a bit of a crunch at the start and end. The India and New Zealand players will arrive late due to their ongoing ODI series then England, and some South Africa players, will miss the closing stages, including finals, due to their bilateral series.The squads*Subject to further updatesAdelaide Strikers: Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Maggie Clark, Ellie Johnston, Katie Mack, Eleanor Larosa, Smriti Mandhana, Anesu Mushangwe, Tahlia McGrath, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Orla Prendergast, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura WolvaardtBrisbane Heat: Nadine de Klerk, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Shikha Pandey, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues, Ruby Strange, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla WrigleyHobart Hurricanes: Suzie Bates, Kathryn Bryce (Associate Rookie), Nicola Carey, Zoe Cooke, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Tabatha Saville, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Chloe Tryon, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson, Danni WyattMelbourne Renegades: Emma de Broughe, Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Hayley Matthews, Sophie Molineux, Tara Norris (Associate Rookie), Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Linsey Smith, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney WebbMelbourne Stars: Yastika Bhatia, Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Maisy Gibson, Hasrat Gill, Liv Henry, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Sophie Reid, Deepti Sharma, Annabel SutherlandPerth Scorchers: Sophie Devine, Chloe Ainsworth, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Hemalatha Dayalan, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Ebony Hoskin, Amy Jones, Alana King, Carly Leeson, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Chloe Piparo, Ni Made Putri Suwandewi (Associate Rookie)Sydney Sixers: Hollie Armitage, Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Sarah Bryce (Associate Rookie), Erin Burns, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Sophie Ecclestone, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Amelia Kerr, Isabella Malgioglio, Kate Pelle, Ellyse Perry, Kate Peterson, Courtney Sippel, Elsa Hunter (local replacement), Frankie Nicklin (local replacement)Sydney Thunder: Georgia Adams, Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Bates, Ella Briscoe, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia WilsonThere from the start: a group of players launch the WBBL season•Getty ImagesIs there anything else new about the season?A third umpire will be available in every game for the first time, while there is an increase in matches with the full DRS. In all, 33 of the 43 matches will have DRS while for the 10 games without it the TV umpire will be able to rule on line decisions such as stumpings and run outs.There will also be an innings timer in operation for the tournament to mirror the BBL with 73 minutes available to be ready to bowl the first ball of the 20th over, otherwise a fielding penalty is implemented which requires one extra fielder inside the circle.Who are the players to watch?Phoebe Litchfield: Foreshadowing what may lie ahead in national colours, the 21-year-old has been named Sydney Thunder captain for the upcoming WBBL season. She will be the youngest full-time captain in WBBL history. It’s been a rapid rise for Litchfield, who made her Thunder debut aged 16 but went up a level last season making 309 runs at a strike-rate of 130.37. There was a feeling that her prodigious batting talents were wasted down the order at the T20 World Cup, where she was mostly used at No.6. But the left-handed Litchfield is the star of the future for Australian cricket – the country’s most dynamic and inventive batter. She’s primed for a major WBBL in her captaincy debut.Annabel Sutherland: Much like Litchfield, Sutherland probably should have batted higher up the order during the T20 World Cup. Also like Litchfield, she has been named captain of Melbourne Stars. There were eyebrows raised over Sutherland coming in at No.8 especially after her Player-of-the-Tournament display in the Hundred for Northern Superchargers, where she scored 212 runs at a strike rate of 137.66 batting in the top four. She should be utilised in a similar role for Melbourne Stars and will be a key with the ball having starred in the UAE. After their World Cup disappointment, Australia may transition and build their team around Sutherland’s brilliant allround skills.Amelia Kerr will be one of the World Cup stars on show•ICC via Getty ImagesAmelia Kerr: It’s been quite the whirlwind for Kerr. She was Player-of-the-World Cup after inspiring New Zealand to a drought-breaking title. Kerr also went viral in the aftermath after showcasing her talents with the guitar to lead her team’s emotional rendition of a Maori ballad. There won’t be much time for a breather with Kerr fronting up this season in new colours for Sydney Sixers having crossed over from Brisbane Heat. Powerhouse Sixers surprisingly missed finals last season, but the recruitment of Kerr might just lift them back to title contention.Deandra Dottin: Back in the WBBL, Dottin arrives in stupendous form after a brilliant T20 World Cup. Having reversed her international retirement, she led West Indies on a semi-final run after unfurling a succession of mighty blows. Dottin had an incredible strike-rate of 162.16 and smashed nine sixes in the tournament – no other batter had more than three. She was selected as a platinum pick for Melbourne Renegades, who are desperate for a spark having finished in bottom place last season. Having also bowled with fire during the World Cup, Dottin looms as the key for a Renegades revival.