Sydney and Melbourne derbies will launch the new-look WBBL season with Cricket Australia confirming the fixture list for the 59-game competition that will be played entirely in a Sydney hub starting late next month.
The opening weekend of matches on October 25 will see the Melbourne Renegades face the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Sixers take on the Sydney Thunder at North Sydney Oval.
All eight teams will be involved on the opening day with the Adelaide Strikers playing the Hobart Hurricanes and the Perth Scorchers up against the Adelaide Strikers at Hurstville Oval.
The other grounds to be used for the tournament are the Sydney Showground Stadium, Blacktown International Sportspark and Drummoyne Oval.
The fixtures and venues for the finals series, which will take place on November 28 and 29, will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
A WBBL village will be created in the Sydney OIympic Park area – which houses the Showground Stadium – with the eight teams having exclusive use of hotels, training facilities and other areas during the month-long competition.
“Today’s announcement of the changes to the rebel WBBL|06 fixture and the transformation of Sydney Olympic Park into the rebel WBBL Village sets the League up for another unforgettable season,” Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s head of Big Bash Leagues, said.
“Last season was the biggest in the history of the women’s game and now, following on from the Commonwealth Bank ODI and T20I series in Brisbane, we’ll get to see the stars of our world champion Australian team in action during rebel WBBL|06.”
The logistics, including required quarantine periods, for the overseas players joining the tournament will be firmed up in the next few weeks
Source: ESPN Crickinfo