WBBL|12 Preview: New Designated-Batter Rule, 43 Matches and a Title Defence for Hobart

The twelfth season of the Women's Big Bash League begins on 29 October and runs until the final on 5 December. Eight teams will play 43 matches in a little over five weeks, with Hobart Hurricanes starting as defending champions after beating Perth Scorchers in last season's final.

Opening day

The season opens with a double-header at Junction Oval in Melbourne. Melbourne Renegades host Sydney Thunder in the first game, followed by Melbourne Stars against the champion Hurricanes under lights.

Women's Big Bash returns: 8 teams · 43 matches · Final 5 Dec

What is new this season

Designated batters: each team may nominate one player who bats but does not field or bowl.
Stricter over-rate penalties: sides that fall behind the clock face full powerplay fielding restrictions.
No international draft: clubs can now sign overseas players directly.
Squads are capped at 15 players.

The designated-batter rule is the most significant change. It should lengthen batting orders and may extend the careers of senior batters who no longer bowl.

Format

The league stage is a double round-robin of 40 matches. The top four progress to a three-match finals series: third plays fourth in the Knockout on 1 December, the winner meets the second-placed side in the Challenger on 3 December, and the Final on 5 December is hosted by the team that finished first.

Captains

Adelaide Strikers: Tahlia McGrath
Brisbane Heat: Georgia Redmayne
Melbourne Renegades: Sophie Molineux
Melbourne Stars: Annabel Sutherland
Perth Scorchers: Sophie Devine
Sydney Sixers: Ashleigh Gardner
Sydney Thunder: Phoebe Litchfield

Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, last season's finalists, meeting in 2021 (file photo)

Players to watch

Sophie Devine returns to lead Perth, last season's beaten finalists. Laura Wolvaardt, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin and Heather Knight are among the overseas names in this season's squads, while Sutherland, Gardner and Litchfield each carry the added responsibility of captaincy.

Squads can still change before the first ball, so final line-ups will be confirmed by the clubs closer to the opening night.

Photo: Action from a Women's Big Bash League match in 2021 (file photo). Credit: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; shared under the same licence).

Second photo: Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, last season's finalists, meeting in 2021 (file photo). Credit: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; shared under the same licence).