Revised WBBL07 schedule announced; no matches in New South Wales, Victoria

North Sydney Oval.

Defending champions Sydney Thunder will start their campaign at the same venue on October 16 when they face Hobart Hurricanes.

Venues for the final series is yet to be announced and will be named in due course. The top team from the group stages will directly qualify for the final, and other three teams will fight it out in the Eliminator – team 3 and team 4 - and the Challenger – the Eliminator winner and team 2 - before the winner from the Challenger will face the table topper in the final.

“Today’s announcement of a revised full WBBL07 schedule reaffirms Australian Cricket’s commitment to the women’s game,” said Alistair Dobson, CA’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues. “WBBL is Australia’s highest rating sporting league for women and the world’s best cricket league for women. We owe it to our players and loyal fans to deliver a full schedule, and today’s announcement further strengthens this.”

ALSO READ: Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma to play for Sydney Thunder in WBBL07

“Once again this season we need to remain nimble and agile to deliver a full WBBL season. We are grateful to our Clubs, broadcast partners, players, commercial partners, venues and governments for their cooperation, understanding and flexibility as we strive to deliver another fantastic season.”

With the state border restrictions that are in place owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, no matches will be played in Sydney or Melbourne in this edition of the competition. WBBL06 was played entirely out of a bio-bubble in Sydney due to the pandemic induced restrictions. All the matches of this season of the tournament will be televised for the first time.

“We understand that this revised schedule means our fans in New South Wales and Victoria won’t be able to attend WBBL07 matches in their own backyard. We are thinking of all our fans in those states as they continue navigating the challenges of lockdowns and hope they enjoy tuning into the broadcast,” Dobson added.

“At the same time, to also announce a landmark broadcast footprint is amazing. Fans can now watch every WBBL07 game on TV, ensuring that our passionate supporters will have access to world-class cricket despite the challenges of the pandemic.”