Women’s Big Bash League: Cricket Australia reviewing season length

The BBL has already been shortened, and now Cricket Australia is pondering a similar move with the women’s league. DANIEL CHERNY reports.

The Adelaide Strikers won the 2022 WBBL trophy after a long season. Picture: Tom Huntley

Cricket officials are debating the merits of trimming the Women’s Big Bash League season in line with the impending reduction of its men’s counterpart.

Since its inception in 2015-16, the WBBL has always been played with a 56-match regular season (14 games per club) plus finals.

The BBL expanded to a similar format from 2018-19 but will revert to a 40-match regular season (10 matches per side) plus finals under the new broadcast rights deal, which kicks in for the 2024-25 summer. There is also scope for next summer’s BBL to be shortened too, with Cricket Australia yet to announce whether it will expedite a reduction of the competition.

However it has emerged in recent weeks that CA is also looking at cutting part of the WBBL. The topic is understood to have been raised when Australian and state cricket chiefs met in Sydney last week.

While the women’s cricket calendar is nowhere near as packed as that of the men, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has flagged a possible move of the Women’s Premier League to November, potentially clashing with the WBBL, which has run through October and November in recent years.

Economies of scale are another factor in any possible decision. A sizeable portion of the WBBL continues to be played at suburban and regional venues, creating sizeable overheads for organisers and broadcasters.

The Sydney WBBL derby has become a big hit for crowds. Picture: Phil Hillyard

But a reduction in the WBBL would come in contrast to CA’s expansion of the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League from eight to 12 matches last year.

CA has invested heavily in the women’s game in recent years too, with female players among the big winners from the game’s recent pay deal.

Alistair Dobson, the general manager of the Big Bash Leagues, confirmed WBBL season length was being reviewed.

“The global women’s game is evolving quickly, and it’s vital that we make sure that the Weber WBBL continues to be at the forefront of T20 leagues and an attractive proposition to the best players from around the world,” Dobson said.

“As a league we’re always reviewing and looking at ways we can evolve, adapt and innovate, and that includes the structure of our season.

“The number of matches is one consideration, but needs to be assessed against a range of factors. It’s a conversation we’ll continue to have with clubs, broadcast and commercial partners, with the intention to make relevant announcements for this season in the coming weeks.”

CA last week announced that an overseas player draft would be introduced for this year’s WBBL as it seeks to consolidate its position amid the introduction of the WPL and The Hundred.

Originally published as Women’s Big Bash League: Cricket Australia reviewing season length