Southern Vipers will begin their title defence on TV © Getty Images
Six group matches and both games on Finals Day in the second edition of the Kia Super League will be broadcast by Sky Sports. The live matches begin with a rematch of last year’s final between the defending champions Southern Vipers and Western Storm on August 10 and also includes the Roses clash between Yorkshire Diamonds and Lancashire Thunder at Headingley the following day.
The six group matches will form double-headers with NatWest T20 Blast matches while Finals Day is a standalone event taking place on Friday, September 1 at Hove.
There was some criticism last year when the tournament launched without any TV coverage, given the success of the WBBL in Australia. Reasons ranged from the somewhat last-minute confirmation of the final details for the tournament, an already full television schedule and a perceived lack of faith in the product that would be on show.
For 2017, however, there appears a much more joined-up effort to promote the tournament by making use of the NatWest Blast for double-header match days and the staging of the finals the day before the T20 Blast Finals Day to ensure it can be broadcast.
Clare Connor, the ECB’s director of women’s cricket, said: “At the end of last summer I said that I was immensely proud of what the Kia Super League had achieved during its first season, but equally I stressed that there was still considerable growth potential for the competition.
“Moving into year two I am therefore delighted to announce the next historic moment in the development of the domestic women’s game in this country, with six group stage matches plus finals day due to be televised live on Sky Sports, alongside enhanced levels of broadcast coverage throughout the competition on BBC radio.
“In total, we will be taking the Kia Super League to 14 different venues during the season, which presents a fantastic platform to spread the game to new audiences across the country. Alongside the Women’s World Cup in June and July, we have a brilliant opportunity to showcase the sport this summer, grow our participation base and inspire more fans than ever before to watch and get involved with women’s cricket.”
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo