As the seventh edition of Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL 07) gears up to have a banging come-back to a national and festival-based competition that has been scheduled to kick-off from 14 October and conclude with the prime-time final on 27 November. The tournament will take its shape with Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars locking horns for the inaugural match of the season on Thursday 14 October at North Sydney Oval.
A total of 24 matches will be subjected to broadcast on free-to-air on Seven and simultaneously on Foxtel. Another 23 games on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and on cricket.com.au for the added hype. Out of a total of 59 matches on the account, the remaining 12 matches will be live-streamed on the website cricket.com.au along with ABC Radio for free.
What’s more interesting to be noted is that while the previous and the sixth edition of the league was played in Sydney only and that too in a bio-secure bubble due to COVID-19 restrictions, the previous year, this year’s edition will be played across all the six states admitting to the COVID-19 protocols.
North Sydney Oval will have every one of the eight groups on the initial end of the week, with Sydney picked to start the season because of the short turnaround with Australia’s multi-design series against India, which finishes up with the third and last T20I at a similar scene on October 11.
The opposition will then, at that point move around the country across the following five weeks to scenes including the WACA Ground, Metricon Stadium, Junction Oval, Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide, Lilac Hill in Perth, Blundstone Arena, University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston, Blacktown International Sportspark, Centennial Park Oval in Nuriootpa and Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena.
We've got more games on TV than ever before and we're returning to some of our favourite venues across Australia 🤩
Here's your #WBBL07 fixture! pic.twitter.com/yFeL68dtqN
— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) July 8, 2021
“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 and moved on to further add, “We’re hoping to give as many fans as possible the opportunity to watch their teams live, along with the millions watching on TV across Australia and around the world.”
The Gold Coast’s Metricon Stadium will have WBBL coordinates interestingly and will fill in as a pivotal ground for the Brisbane Heat given their typical home at Allan Border Field will be under redevelopment.
“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,” Mr. Dobson notes.
He further adds, “Like all sporting leagues, we remain conscious of the need to be flexible in response to the challenges of the pandemic. This schedule provides us with a number of options should we need to pivot, and the lessons of WBBL 06 and KFC BBL 10 stand us in good stead should we need to do so.”
A three-match, four-group finals series will be played on 24, 25 and 27 November and the timetable accompanies a COVID-19 admonition that flare-ups and line terminations could drive changes; ongoing episodes in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland have seen the colder time of year codes correct their installations on the run, while swarm limitations have vacillated. The agreement ban for WBBL 07 lifted in late April, with clubs again ready to sign a limit of three overseas players.
