Fixtures of the Women Big Bash League (WBBL) 2022 were announced on July 7 (Thursday). The eighth edition of the WBBL will start on October 13. In a good piece of news for some franchises, the edition will return to all states for the first time in three years after the previous editions were fully conducted in Sydney due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, teams including Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Stars, and Melbourne Renegades will be playing in front of their home crowd for the first time since WBBL 05. Meanwhile, defending champions Perth Scorchers will start their campaign against Sydney Thunder in Blacktown on October 16.

Our first priority is to get more WBBL matches into primetime: Big Bash leagues manager Alistair Dobson

“Our first priority is to get more WBBL matches into primetime…which is where the WBBL belongs as the best cricket league in the world for women,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, told ESPNcricinfo. “Factoring in the men’s T20 World Cup has been one of the considerations, albeit we’ve managed to work pretty well around it and it hasn’t compromised the WBBL schedule much at all given the venues are generally different,” he added.

The WBBL management committee has also ensured that the tournament matches do not clash with the 2022 T20 World Cup and the final match of the AFLW, which is Australia’s national semiprofessional Australian rules football league for female players.

“Our starting point is whatever is right for the WBBL is the schedule we’ll put out, but equally there is a pretty interesting opportunity there about a great festival of sport that weekend. So if there are opportunities for each competition to leverage each other that’s something we would explore, but our starting point is that the WBBL, as the biggest sporting league for women in Australia, we’ll schedule what is right for the competition,” Dobson added.

WBBL08 2022-23 fixtures

Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) champions Perth Scorchers have retained their star player Marizanne Kapp for the upcoming season 2022-23. South African all-rounder played a crucial role in the Orange Army’s success last season with 106 runs and 12 wickets. She was awarded the player of the match award for her unbeaten 31 runs off 23 balls knock and a wicket for 25 runs spell in the final last season.

The 32-year-old batter is in great form in international matches lately. She scored her maiden Test hundred in South Africa’s last match against England last month. Kapp ranks 4th in the ICC ODI all-rounder chart and 7th in the bowlers’ chart. Her retention definitely boosts Perth Scorchers’ chances to retain the trophy this season. Kapp is also looking forward to another exciting season with the Scorchers and said the whole squad is looking to repeat the last season’s success.

“I’m thrilled to sign on for another season with Perth. Winning the title last year in front of the Orange Army was an awesome experience, and something the whole group is incredibly driven to repeat. There’s a great blend of youth and experience within the squad, we’ve got an excellent coach in Shelley, and the culture we’ve built together is really strong. I can’t wait to see what we’re able to achieve moving forward,” Marizanne Kapp said in an official statement as quoted by India Today.

Kappie signs on! ✍️ Our champion all-rounder is here to stay for our #WBBL08 campaign! 💪 https://t.co/dLpghbGOUU 🔥 #MADETOUGH pic.twitter.com/UG2Yv4Tqyk

— Perth Scorchers (@ScorchersBBL) July 6, 2022

We’re stoked to have Kappie back: Perth Scorchers’ head coach Shelley Nitschke on Marizanne Kapp

Big Bash teams can sign only three overseas players each season and the Scorchers have already signed New Zealand power hitter Maddy Green. They had retained star Kiwi all-rounder Sophie Devine and have now completed the overseas quota by signing Kapp. Perth Scorchers head coach Shelley Nitschke is thrilled to re-sign ‘one of the best all-rounder’ Kapp for this season and expects the player to become a good role model for the youngsters.

“We’re stoked to have Kappie back. She’s one of the best all-rounders in the world and she keeps getting better and better, particularly with her batting. She has been around for a while and is incredibly diligent with her preparation, making her such a good role model for those younger players coming through. It’s certainly exciting to have her on our team,” Shelley Nitschke said in a statement.

India women’s cricket team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been re-signed by the Melbourne Renegades for the eighth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). This has been officially confirmed by the Renegades on Monday, July 4. Taking to their official Twitter handle, the Melbourne-based franchise once again welcomed Kaur back to their squad.

Harmanpreet Kaur has been rewarded for her excellence in the last edition where she had a dream run both with the bat and ball. Kaur amassed 406 runs and finished as the leading run-scorer. She also finished as the leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps to her name and was deservingly adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

She's baaaaackkkk ❤️

One of the best in the world and last season's Player of the Tournament is returning to Melbourne! @RenegadesWBBL #WBBL08 pic.twitter.com/pvV7utyA6l

— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) July 4, 2022

I’m excited to be coming back to the Renegades: Harmanpreet Kaur

“I’m excited to be coming back to the Renegades. I really enjoyed being part of the team environment last season and feel like that helped me produce some of my best cricket. Personally, I just wanted to play my role for the team and it was pleasing to be able to do that”, said Harmanpreet Kaur as quoted by the Melbourne Renegades on their official website.

“We supported each other as a team last year and were able to get some good results, but we still have plenty of room to improve. Hopefully, we can do that, make the finals again and put ourselves in a position to compete for the title,” she added.

Coming back to her international career in the shortest format, Harmanpreet Kaur has amassed 2,411 runs in the 124 appearances that she has made so far including a century and six half-centuries. She also has 31 scalps to her name. Kaur is a very accomplished T20I batter. In fact, she became the first woman for India to score a century in a Women’s T20I in November 2018. In October 2019, the power-hitter became the first cricketer for India, male or female, to complete 100 T20Is.

Under the 33-year-old’s leadership, the Indian eves made the finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.

Melbourne Renegades| Squad (so far): Sophie Molineux (c), Josie Dooley, Ellie Falconer, Harmanpreet Kaur, Carly Leeson, Rhiann O’Donnell, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb

Sophie Molineux, Melbourne Renegades Women’s captain, has signed a two-year contract extension with the club. She is the most capped player for the franchise and she will continue with this club for two more years until the ninth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League in 2024.

The 24-year-old was appointed as captain of the side in 2021 and led them to the Challenger, a step before the final. She has represented the Renegades 87 times till now and bagged 67 wickets. In the recently concluded WBBL, she was bowling in the powerplays as well and still managed to maintain an economy of 5.85, claiming 10 wickets in total.

Molineux has represented her country in all three formats already, having won the T20 Women’s World Cup twice. In Australian colours, she has 26 scalps in 27 T20 Internationals at an economy of 5.94. Sophie expressed her happiness after extending her stay with Melbourne Renegades for the next couple of years.

I’m looking forward to this year, bringing it back to our home state: Sophie Molineux

“I’m super pumped and really, really optimistic and looking forward to the next couple of years – especially after the last 12 months that we’ve had. I was really lucky to have had that first year of captaincy under Simon Helmot. He definitely took me under his wing, and we had a great group of girls who were very willing to play any role they could for the team,” she added as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Sophie also said: “I’m really looking forward to this year, to be able to come back to Melbourne, bring it back to our home state and play some home games in front of our fans.”

Melbourne Renegades Manager, James Rosengarten said that the extension of her contract with the club is an exciting part of the future. He added: “Sophie is one of the best spin bowlers in Australia and a fantastic all-round cricketer who can impact games with bat, ball, or in the field.”

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr, who had exited the Women’s Big Bash League due to a mental health reasons, returned to her team Brisbane Heat to resume her association. Kerr was a key member of the Heat’s title-winning team in the fifth edition of the WBBL, and continued to play for the side in the next edition as well, but left the community in shock when she pulled out of the national side as well as the seventh edition of the WBBL in mid-2021.

Kerr has been an outstanding performer for the Brisbane Heat and has scalped 31 wickets in the 30 games at an exceptional economy rate of 5.80. Kerr had revealed that she had been going through mental health issues even during the 2020 season of WBBL. She reached a state of mind where she could not battle it any longer, and thus the decision of pulling out of the sport in all formats.

“We’re excited to have her back in the squad this summer and I think her experience and insights will be very valuable for the group. Her batting during the World Cup was impressive in spite of some challenging conditions and it will be great to see her continue to develop her skills further. Our young players will really enjoy the chance to learn from ‘Melie’ as they play alongside her,” Brisbane Heat coach Ashley Noffke was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

I’m looking forward to coming back to Brisbane and having some fun: Kerr

Kerr returned to the sport before the Women’s World Cup which was held in March-April 2022. She had a good run throughout the event scoring 201 runs and scalping nine wickets in the seven games that she appeared in. Upon her return to the WBBL, Kerr said:

“Ash and the team were in regular contact while I was having a break, and the Heat have been nothing but supportive. I kept an eye on how they went last year and so I’m looking forward to coming back to Brisbane and having some fun with the Heat girls.”

She was chosen New Zealand Cricket’s female ODI player of the year in April following a season in which she scored 554 runs and took 16 wickets. Before returning to the Brisbane Heat, she will be a part of the London Spirits in The Hundred tournament, and will also represent her national side in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Ahead of the eighth season of Women’s Big Bash League, former England skipper Charlotte Edwards has been roped in as the new head coach of Sydney Sixers. Edwards will take over Ben Sawyer, who had a fruitful stint of seven years with the Sixers, leading them to two titles and two final appearances. In the latest turn, Edwards expressed her happiness about joining the Sixers while calling it one of the most successful women’s domestic teams across the world.

Edwards added that her aim remains to bring back the glory days of the Sixers as they have been enduring a rough patch in the last few seasons. It is to be noted that the Sixers haven’t reached above league phase in the last three seasons of the WBBL wherein the last season turned up as the worst one for them.

“I’m extremely excited to be offered the role with the Sixers who are one of the most successful women’s domestic teams in the world. To be associated with a team like the Sixers is really exciting for me and I really can’t wait to get started,” Edwards said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The vision for the sixers is to bring back trophies for the club: Charlotte Edwards

“The vision for the sixers is to bring back trophies for the club. More importantly, is the way we do that, and I think the way we do that is to play a really exciting and entertaining style of cricket that hopefully the fans are proud of and want to come and watch. That means a lot to me and the group,” she added.

In the same light of events, Cricket NSW Head of Female Cricket, Leah Poulton paid her gratitude to Sawyer, calling her a wonderful leader, and welcomed the new beginnings for Sixers with the incoming of Edwards. Edwards has already coached Southern Vipers and worked as an assistant coach for Adelaide Strikers.

“Charlotte brings with her extensive leadership experience and a reputation for bringing out the best in those around her. She has already demonstrated a clear vision for the team, it’s an exciting brand of cricket which I’m sure will appeal to our fans.”

Ashleigh Barty who has played for Brisbane Heat Women in the inaugural edition of the Women Big Bash League won the Australian Open title. She defeated American Danielle Collins to become the first Australian woman to win the title after a gap of 44 years. Former Australian Grand Slam champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley presented her the trophy who is Barty’s idol.

Her winning moment was also enjoyed by Chris O’Neil who was the last Australian to win the men’s or women’s singles title in Melbourne. Barty ended 2021 as the top-ranked player for the third consecutive year and joined the likes of Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, and Chris Evert as the only women to achieve the feat.

After the 2014 US Open, she took an indefinite break from Tennis. She has been playing tennis from a very young age and was traveling for a very long time. She wanted to live her life like a normal teenage girl and at that time it struck her to try her hands in cricket. Barty met the Australian women’s cricket team in early 2015.

She decided to meet Andy Richards, who was the coach of Queensland Fire. Richards was really impressed with the way Barty approached the game and quickly started training her. Within a few months, Barty began playing for the Western Suburbs District Cricket Club and competed in Brisbane’s Women’s Premier Cricket Twenty20 league.

Ashleigh Barty was really impressive for the Brisbane Heat Women

Western Suburbs went on to win the tournament and Barty made 37 runs off 39 balls in the final. After her decent performance, Brisbane Heat signed her for the inaugural edition of the WBBL. In her debut match, Barty made 39 runs off 27 balls against Melbourne Stars. She remained a regular in the team as the Heat went on to win seven out of their 14 games in the tournament.

After her stint with the Heat, Barty returned to play Tennis once again and won numerous titles including the Roland Garros title in Paris. She was scheduled to return to Paris to defend her title in 2020 but she decided not to take part in the tournament due to the ongoing global pandemic. She went on to play golf instead and won the Brookwater Golf Club women’s title.

Hayden Kerr is a 25-years-old all-rounder from New South Wales who is having brilliant time in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021-22 with the ball. Kerr has taken 16 wickets in ten matches for Sydney Sixers at an average of 11, an economy of 7.04, and a strike rate of 9.3. The Sixers have won six of the ten matches and are currently placed in the third position in the points table.

Kerr made his T20 debut for the Sixers during the 2019-20 season of the Big Bash League. But he couldn’t much for the team as he could make only 25 runs in four innings and went wicketless. Before the start of the 2020-21 season, he suffered a pectoral tear that ruled him out of the tournament.

During an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Kerr showed interest in becoming a part of the upcoming season of the IPL. He further added that getting an IPL contract was his long-term goal but his success in BBL has allowed him to think of performing on the global stage.

“I want to throw my name in the ring for the IPL,” he said. “I had mid-to-long term goals but [success in] the BBL might have accelerated them.  I had mid-to-long term goals but [success in] the BBL might have accelerated them.”

BCCI might announce the IPL auction dates soon

On Monday, the BCCI gave clearance to CVC Capitals, the owner of the Ahmedabad franchise, which means that the team can now take part in the upcoming season of the IPL. Ahmedabad and Lucknow are the two new teams that have been added to the IPL. Ahmedabad and Lucknow are the two new teams that have been added to the IPL. Lucknow team is owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group that made a bid of INR 7090 crores.

The BCCI allowed the old eight teams to retain a maximum of four players before heading into the mega auction. These teams have already made their choices public. The board is likely to give 10-15 days to both the new franchises to pick their players before they move to the auction. Currently, it is speculated that the auction might take place in the second week of February. But, the board and the IPL governing council is yet to finalise a date.

South African star Marizanne Kapp won the Women’s Big Bash League with her side Perth Scorchers after defeating Adelaide Strikers by 12 runs. She was at the forefront of Scorchers’ victory as she scored a crucial 31 off 23 towards the end to let her team post good 146 runs on the board. When Scorchers brought their maiden title home, she was declared as the player of the match. On the other hand, Harmanpreet Kaur was declared as the player of the tournament.

However, her partner Dane van Niekerk only scored six runs off 13 balls for Strikers and couldn’t make a mark. This pushed some of the insensible netizens to abuse her and the messages reached Kapp as well. Kapp posted a screenshot of the online abuse her wife faced after an indifferent inning in the final of WBBL.

“This is NOT okay guys! Stop abusing players, we are human! Stop abusing my wife @Danevn811. We are sick and tired of the abuse we get when we fail!” she captioned her post.

Marizanne Kapp opens up on the online abuse regarding her partner

This is NOT okay guys! Stop abusing players, we are human! Stop abusing my wife @Danevn811. We are sick and tired of the abuse we get when we fail! pic.twitter.com/gBlDqh9Hrb

— Marizanne Kapp (@kappie777) November 28, 2021

One of her ss on Twitter showed asking Dane to stop playing cricket as she is useless while the other screenshot was the absolute case of online harassment. It has to be noted that Kapp also picked one wicket in the final event. Kapp and Dane tied the knot in 2018 and continue to live happily by each other’s side.

Talking of the final match between Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers. Put into batting first, they posted a fine total of 146 runs where Kapp and Sophie Devine shined. However, the other side remained 12 runs short of the target where their openers failed terribly.

“It was a terrible week for me, I was unwell, couldn’t get out of bed. I don’t think I deserve this, it’s a team effort. Credit to the Strikers as well. [Odd] facing off my wife in the final. She knows me so well,” said Kapp after winning the player of the match award for her 31 off 23 for the winning side.

The ultimate match of the Women’s Big Bash League saw action between Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers where Scorchers won their maiden title by 12 runs to kick off their celebrations at home ground. Adelaide won the toss and started the game while bowling first. Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney gave a fine start to their team by pitching 35 and 19 runs respectively.

Heather Graham’s contribution in the middle turned out to be vital before she was knocked down by Amanda Wellington after giving 23 runs to her team. However, the best was yet to come for the side as South Africa Marizanne Kapp chimed in with a crucial and unbeaten 31 off 23.

It was due to complete effort from the batting setup that the table-toppers were able to put fine 146 runs on the board in their quota of 20 overs. Wellington, McGrath, Darcie Brown, and Megan Schutt picked one wicket each for the Strikers where Schutt had the best economy of 4.70 to offer on the day. As soon as Strikers went up to kick off their chase game, their openers in form of Katie Mack and Dane van Niekerk were sent back cheaply after scoring six runs each from their ends.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Perth Scorchers’ maiden WBBL victory

How good is this wife v wife battle!! #WBBL07

— Jem Nash (@JemNash95) November 27, 2021

Congratulations to the @ScorchersBBL lead so well by Nitschke & Devine. First @WBBL trophy 🏆 🥳 https://t.co/sufnSU0wrJ

— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) November 27, 2021

The moment the Perth Scorchers clinched their first-ever WBBL title! #WBBL07 | @CommBank pic.twitter.com/4pJPeozsZM

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 27, 2021

What a night for women's sport in Australia!

– 15,511 people at Optus Stadium to see Perth Scorchers win the #WBBL07 final (biggest crowd at a WBBL Finals match)

– 36,109 at Stadium Australia for the Matildas' friendly against the USA.

Over 50,000 people. Incredible!#AUSvUSA

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) November 27, 2021

Marizanne Kapp is the player of the Final in orange.

Not magenta. 😒#WBBL07

— Mrinal (@mrinaaal) November 27, 2021

#WBBL07 #WBBLFinals All Madeline Penna needed was to connect one ball right in the middle. She gave it all right at the end and one shot would have given her the much needed momentum. 💔

— Bala Yogesh (@Yo_Bala) November 27, 2021

Super over specialist ( skipper ), Perth Devinely won #WBBL07 title.
Congrats @ScorchersBBL 🎉

— Avi 😉 (@Avadjoshi) November 27, 2021

What a moment for Bathurst's Lisa Griffith, lifting the #WBBL07 trophy with the Perth Scorchers and claiming a catch in the final!

👏👏👏

— Alexander Grant 💉 (@AlexGrantOz) November 27, 2021

Absolute masterclass in captaincy, @sophdevine77.
Loved the way you helped Taneale Peschel through that by last over.#WBBL07

— neen (@Janine__Graham) November 27, 2021

Congratulations @ScorchersBBL on winning the maiden title in @WBBL!
Champion team of the entire #WBBL07!!
Richly deserved.

And what a great support by their home crowd! They've turned in massive numbers to Perth!! Amazing evening out there. #WBBLFinal

— Srikanth (@G_Srikanth24) November 27, 2021

Heartbreak in Perth 💔

13 runs short on the final day, but what a tournament it has been. Thank you so much to our fans for the unwavering support. We'll be back 👊 #BlueCrew #WBBL07 pic.twitter.com/fwjtPy8PqQ

— Adelaide Strikers Fans (@StrikersBBLFans) November 27, 2021

Tahlia McGrath’s 36 in vain as Strikers failed to strike perfectly

However, the middle-order brought some light for the side which started stumbling right in the beginning. Laura Wolvaardt scored 25 runs off 28 deliveries before being sent back by Heather Graham. McGrath’s 36 off 29 was the brightest spot in their batting set up but it went in vain as her side remained 12 runs short of the glory.

Madeline Penna’s efforts were also vital towards the end as she put in 30 off 21 for the team’s cause. Apart from her batting wonder, Kapp had a wicket in her hand in the ultimate clash while Taneale Peshchel picked two wickets for her side while conceding at an impressive 5.80. Heather Graham also winded up her day with two wickets in hand.