The seventh edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 2021 will get underway on October 14 with Sydney Sixers taking on the Melbourne Stars at North Sydney Oval. The final will take place on November 27 in Adelaide.
The statement released by cricket.com.au also announced that a record number- 47 games will be broadcast on television. The remaining 12 matches will be live streamed for free on cricket.com.au.
During the inaugural season in 2016 only 10 games were shown live on television. That said, the massive increase in TV coverage is a testimony to the popularity and growth of the WBBL in Australia and many other cricket loving nations.
"We’re also delighted to take the competition back to our passionate and loyal fans around the country provided it is safe to do so," Cricket Australia’s head of the Big Bash, Alistair Dobson, said.
"To commit to televising 47 matches this season demonstrates the incredible growth and depth of our competition, which is firmly cemented as Australia’s highest rating women’s sporting league on a per game basis,” Dobson further added.
The 2021 WBBL will once again see eight teams competing for T20 supremacy in Australia. Sydney Thunder are the defending champions after beating Melbourne Stars in the 2020 edition.
Currently, the Sydney Sixers, Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder are the only teams to have won the WBBL.
Meanwhile, Indian women cricketers Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav will be seen making their WBBL debut later in the year. The 17-year-old batter Verma will be representing two-time champions Sydney Sixers, while left-arm spinner Yadav is on the cusp of finalizing her franchise.
This will not be the first time that women cricketers from India will be playing in the Australian T20 League. Back in 2016/17, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana were seen playing for the Sydney Thunder and Brisbane respectively.
Women’s Big Bash League T20 2021 schedule, fixtures and live India match times
All times in India Standard Time (IST)
|
DATE |
MATCH DETAILS |
TIME |
|
Oct 14 |
Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars |
2.10 pm |
|
Oct 16 |
Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers |
10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Oct 17 |
Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder |
4.45 am 8.10 am |
|
Oct 19 |
Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers |
10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Oct 20 |
Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers |
10.10 am 1.35 am |
|
Oct 23 |
Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers |
4.45 am 8.30 am 10:10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Oct 24 |
Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder |
4.45 am 8.10 am 8:30 am 11:45 am |
|
Oct 26 |
Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat |
10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Oct 27 |
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars |
1.35 pm |
|
Oct 30 |
Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes |
8.00 am 10:10 am 11:45 am 1:35 am |
|
Oct 31 |
Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers |
4.45 am 8:00 am 8:10 am 11:45 am |
|
Nov 5 |
Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers |
8.45 am |
|
Nov 6 |
Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers |
4.45 am 5:15 am 8:10 am 8:45 am |
|
Nov 7 |
Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers |
4.45 am 8.10 am 8.45 am |
|
Nov 9 |
Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades |
10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Nov 10 |
Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat |
10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Nov 13 |
Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers |
4.45 am 8.30 am 10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Nov 14 |
Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars |
4.45 am 4.45 am 8.10 am 8.30 am |
|
Nov 19 |
Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder |
10.10 am 1:35 pm |
|
Nov 20 |
Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades |
4.45 am 8.10 am 10.10 am 1.35 pm |
|
Nov 21 |
Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars |
4.45 am 8:10 am |
The fixtures for the knockout WBBL T20 games have not been announced yet.
Featured photo : Prakash Singh / AFP
