WBBL 04 schedule announced with the new add of a stand-alone final

The most exciting tournament of Women's Cricket, WBBL 04 will kick off from December 1 with its final to be played on January 26. By seeing the rapid growth of women's cricket, Australia has announced a great news for the first time. The team finishing first on the points table will bag the right to host a home semi-final, while the highest-ranked team that qualifies for the final will get to host the summit clash- a stand-alone final.



The tournament will begin just after 7 days from the ICC T20 2018 World Cup in West Indies. The international stars of the WBBL are expected to hit the tournament in prime form, as good practice will help them to excel in the tournament. In all, 59 matches will be played (including finals) across 57 days.  Over 20 venues are booked with two new names Burnie and Cairns making there way for the first time.



WBBL 04 will hit the horn on weekend December 1-2 at Melbourne's newly-renovated Citi Power Centre. All eight teams will play there first match across the two days on the same venue. Special weekend and festival matches are also scheduled.



To add some exciting flavour in the tournament special Christmas eve match - featuring Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes will be played at the Spotless stadium in Sydney, while the Optus stadium in Perth will host its first WBBL night game when Perth Scorchers take on Brisbane Heat on Boxing Day. Also, there will be a New Year Celebration in Adelaide when there will be a double-header with KFC BBL.



Special preferences will be given for the top finishing team as they will have a special right to host a home semi-final, while the highest-ranked team that qualifies for the final will get to host the final thriller. Both semifinals will be held at the same venue on January 19 while the final will be held on January 26.



Fans will be able to watch every ball of WBBL 04 live and free with increased TV coverage. Seven Network and Fox networks have bagged the rights for the 23 matches, while the remaining 36 will be streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app. In addition to that special live radio coverage of every match will be tuned via ABC Grandstand.



Kim McConnie, head of the Big Bash said, "As the popularity of women's cricket keeps growing in Australia, the WBBL continues to cement itself as one of the best family-friendly entertainment options each summer, with world class on and off-field action."



He further added, "Following the success of the third season of the WBBL, our season will begin with a festival weekend at CitiPower Centre where all eight clubs will compete across four matches, ensuring the perfect start to the summer of Big Bash entertainment".



He concluded with,"We know there is a demand for women's cricket, with more people than ever before tuning in to watch the sport, so the strong relationship we are forming with our new broadcaster partners will continue to reinforce the WBBL position as a competition that inspires young girls to understand that cricket is a game for girls too and that they can make a career from the sport - not just at the top level".



WBBL 04 Complete Fixtures here.