The tenth season of the WBBL begins just seven days after the T20 World Cup concludes in Bangladesh, which may put pressure on the availability of overseas players. However, because of the shorter competition, there will be more games in the evenings during primetime, with more technology being used.
The overseas draft is anticipated to take place in early September. While some clubs have already benefited from the new ability to sign a player to a multi-year contract prior to the draft, nominations are still open. CA is optimistic that it will have a strong roster of overseas names, but given its increasingly hectic schedule, some elite players may still weigh their options.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, an English player who entered the competition late with the Perth Scorchers the previous season, informed the BBC that she would not be participating this year.
In an attempt to lessen the effort of the top players in the league, the WBBL was reduced to a 40-game regular season with three finals; nevertheless, this season, scheduling pressure has been applied from all sides. While England plays South Africa starting on November 24, which coincides with the finals, Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk have committed to full seasons with the Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat, respectively. Australia and India begin a three-match ODI series on December 1, four days after the final.
“Clubs are working really hard in the market at the moment with players and agents,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the BBL, told ESPNcricinfo as the WBBL fixture list was unveiled. “Obviously the calendar for players in the women’s game is really busy at that time of the year, particularly this year.
“We are excited about the players who have signed and think over the next month or two we’ll get a sense from players as to how they are preparing for the World Cup and their appetite to come quickly to Australia, whether that’s at the start of our competition, or perhaps a couple of games in which is certainly possible as well. We know the competition is still one of, if not the, most appealing for players around the world and we are expecting big names to be there again.”
Gabba joins stadium series
In an attempt to mimic the WPL and Hundred’s audience development, Cricket Australia has increased and advanced the stadium series for the competition.
There will be two games at the MCG and SCG as well as a standalone match at the Gabba for the first time (the WBBL was last played there in 2019 as part of a doubleheader with the BBL). After hosting a doubleheader on October 27 to kick off the tournament with the defending champion Adelaide Strikers playing Brisbane Heat in a replay of last year’s championship, Adelaide Oval will host its third game of the season.
The WBBL moved back into big stadiums for the 2018 season, and 12,379 people showed up for the Adelaide Oval final, despite the fact that attendance is still below what has been accomplished in England and India.
The Sydney derby between the Sixers and Thunder on 10 November and the Melbourne head-to-head between the Stars and Renegades on 15 November are among the stadium series games.
“The introduction of the stadium series to the WBBL last year was a great success,” Dobson stated. “We got a great product when we put the best women’s cricket league in the world in the best cricket stadiums in the world,” the author said. It was a hit with the athletes, the fans, and our broadcasters alike.
“We took a lot from that, we’ve added a big game at the Gabba; Brisbane Heat at the Gabba is iconic. We’ve brought them a week or so earlier than last year which means the games are even more likely to be live and the way we promote those games will be a big focus for us.”
Third umpire at every game
Last season, a number of wrong rulings that were apparent to viewers but could not be verified on the pitch brought attention to the uneven availability of TV umpires. The broadcast facilities will be improved as fewer games are played, and a third umpire will officiate line calls like runouts and stumpings during every game. While it won’t cover every match, ESPNcricinfo is aware that there will be more matches available with the DRS.