Eight Indian players will be participating in the Women's Big Bash League in a record for most overseas players from one country in the 2021 season.
After several schedule changes due to COVID-19 and many state borders being closed, the 2021 edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) is set to begin in Hobart on Thursday, October 14. The season now will move in a caravan format with the first 24 games taking place in Hobart (Tasmania), then to Adelaide (South Australia), followed by Perth (Western Australia) and Mackay (Queensland).
The tournament will kick off with Sydney Sixers, one of the pre-tournament favourites, who will take on the last year's runners-up Melbourne Stars, who suffered heartbreak in the final after topping the points table, but it was the Rachael Haynes-led Sydney Thunder, who won their second WBBL title.
That's the reason, there is a slight tweak in the format of the knockouts this season. The table-toppers will directly qualify for the final straightaway while the second finalist will be determined after two matches. The winners of 3 vs 4 will take on the second-placed team and the winner of that game will take on the table-toppers in the final.
As many as eight Indian players will be participating in the WBBL 07, which is the most number of overseas players from a country in this season, followed by six players from South Africa and four from England while a brace from New Zealand and one each from Ireland and Sri Lanka.
As far as the availability of players is concerned, Sydney Thunder skipper Rachael Haynes will most likely miss the tournament as she wants to spend time with her family after the birth of her son, Hugo. Adelaide Striker pacer Megan Schutt will miss the first leg in Hobart while Sydney Sixers all-rounder Erin Bruns too will arrive late.
But the 59-game tournament promises to be a cracker of competition, especially from an Indian perspective with eight of the top stars featuring in it.
WBBL 07 Full Schedule (all timings IST)
October 14
Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 2:10 PM
October 16
Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 10:10 AM
Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 1:35 PM
October 17
Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 4:45 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 8:10 AM
October 19
Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 7:55 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 11:20 AM
October 20
Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 7:55 AM
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers, Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 11:20 AM
October 23
Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Invermay Park, Launceston, 4:45 AM
Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, Invermay Park, Launceston, 8:30 AM
Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers, UTAS, Launceston, 10:10 AM
Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades, UTAS, Launceston, 1:35 PM
October 24
Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, Invermay Park, Launceston, 4:45 AM
Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades, UTAS, Launceston, 8:10 AM
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder, UTAS, Launceston, 11:45 AM
October 26
Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, UTAS, Launceston, 7:55 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat, UTAS, Launceston, 11:20 AM
October 27
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades, UTAS, Launceston, 7:55 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, UTAS, Launceston, 11:20 AM
October 30
Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, Lilac Hill Park, Perth, 7:55 AM
Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, UTAS, Launceston, 10:35 AM
Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers, Lilac Hill Park, Perth, 11:20 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes, UTAS, Launceston, 2 PM
October 31
Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, UTAS, Launceston, 4:45 AM
Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades, Lilac Hill Park, Perth, 7:55 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, UTAS, Launceston, 8:10 AM
Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers, Lilac Hill Park, Perth, 11:20 AM
November 3
Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes, WACA Ground, Perth, 7:55 AM
Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, WACA Ground, Perth, 11:20 AM
November 6
Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 4:45 AM
Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 8:10 AM
Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes, WACA Ground, Perth, 11:20 AM
November 7
Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 4:45 AM
Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 8:10 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers, WACA Ground, Perth, 11:20 AM
November 9
Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 9:05 AM
Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 12:30 PM
November 10
Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 7:55 AM
Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 11:20 AM
November 11
Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 7:55 AM
November 13
Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 11:20 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10:10 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 1:35 PM
November 14
Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 4:45 AM
Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 8:10 AM
November 17
Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide, 10:10 AM
Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 1:35 PM
November 19
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10:10 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 1:35 PM
November 20
Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 4:45 AM
Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 8:10 AM
Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 10:10 AM
Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 1:35 PM
November 21
Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 4:45 AM
Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 8:10 AM
November 24
Team No 3 vs Team No 4
November 25
Team No 2 vs Winner of first knockout
November 27
Final
Venues
Blundstone Arena - Hobart, Tasmania
Invermay Park and University of Tasmania (UTAS) - Launceston, Tasmania
Karen Rolton Oval and Adelaide Oval - Adelaide
Lilac Hill Park and WACA ground - Perth
Great Barrier Reef Arena - Mackay
Full Squads
Sydney Thunder
Rachael Haynes (c), Smriti Mandhana (IND), Deepti Sharma (IND), Issy Wong (ENG), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Jessica Davidson, Corinne Hall, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Olivia Porter, Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson
Melbourne Stars
Meg Lanning (c), Annabel Sutherland, Maia Bouchier (ENG), Kim Garth (IRE), Linsey Smith (ENG), Lucy Cripps, Maddy Darke, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Georgia Gall, Anna Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Erin Osborne, Elyse Villani
Sydney Sixers
Ellyse Perry (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Shafali Verma (IND), Radha Yadav (IND), Jade Allen, Nicole Bolton, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Emma Hughes, Matilda Lugg, Angela Reakes, Claire Moore
Brisbane Heat
Jess Jonassen (c), Anneke Bosch (SA), Nadine de Klerk (SA), Poonam Yadav (IND), Zoe Cooke, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Kimmince, Mikayla Hinkley, Charli Knott, Georgia Prestwidge, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll
Hobart Hurricanes
Rachel Priest (c) (NZ), Nicola Carey, Tayla Vlaeminck, Mignon du Preez (SA), Richa Ghosh (IND), Angelina Genford, Maisy Gibson, Ruth Johnston, Sasha Moloney, Chloe Rafferty, Amy Smith, Molly Strano, Naomi Stalenberg, Belinda Vakarewa, Rachel Trenaman
Perth Scorchers
Sophie Devine (c) (NZ), Beth Mooney, Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Samantha Betts, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Ashley Day, Amy Edgar, Heather Graham, Lisa Griffith, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo
Adelaide Strikers
Darcie Brown, Tahlia McGrath, Megan Schutt, Dane van Niekerk (SA), Laura Wolvaardt (SA), Jemma Barsby, Nell Bryson-Smith, Sarah Coyte, Meagan Dixon, Katie Mack, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Annie O'Neil, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Melbourne Renegades
Sophie Molineux (captain), Georgia Wareham, Eve Jones (ENG), Harmanpreet Kaur (IND), Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Makinley Blows, Josie Dooley, Jess Duffin, Ellen Falconer, Holly Ferling, Poppy Gardner, Ella Hayward, Carly Leeson, Rhiann O'Donnell, Courtney Webb
Live streaming and TV details
All 59 matches of WBBL 07 will be telecasted live on Sony SIX/ SIX HD and fans can live stream the tournament on SonyLiv app and website.
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