WBBL10 on the move towards prime time, after decade of morning and weekday timeslots

WBBL10 is saying goodbye to morning and weekday matches, with Cricket Australia prioritising a move towards a tournament in prime time.

The Women’s Big Bash League has moved away from morning, weekday games as the push to become a prime-time winner comes into focus for Cricket Australia.

For the first time, the 10th edition of the WBBL will see the tournament reduced to 40 regular season games with just 10 home-and-away fixtures for each side. As a result, morning weekday games are a thing of the past with big stadiums and bright lights the new normal.

After a strong first step back into some of the biggest grounds in Australia last year, the Stadium Series will return with a few extra additions. The matches will be played at the SCG, Adelaide Oval, MCG and for the first time in four years the Gabba, and will take place in the middle of the season to rule out the possibility of dead rubbers.

The Sydney Thunder have also moved their home games away from Cricket Central to the popular Drummoyne Oval, which has the added benefit of flood lights to make night games possible.

Drummoyne Oval, the home of some of the WBBL’s greatest moments, is set to become the home for the Sydney Thunder in 2024. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“The WBBL is the biggest and best cricket league in the world for women and we think this schedule puts us in great shape to continue that,” Alistair Dobson, general manager of the Big Bash Leagues said.

“It’s got a lot of highlights in there from playing more games in big stadiums through to more prime time matches.”

Weekend matches are set to be the focus again for the WBBL, while each team will play a home fixture within a week of the competition commencing. In the final weekend of the season, WBBL matches will bookend the days’ play in the first men’s Australia-India Test in Perth, creating 12 hours of back-to-back cricket.

The tournament will start just one week after the final of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, with Cricket Australia hoping the promise of star-studded line-ups at the best venues in the country will deliver another boost in crowds.

WBBL10 will move towards prime time. Picture: Mark Brake - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“Prime time is something we want (for the WBBL) to have that presence under lights and give people the opportunity to attend and watch the best women’s competition there is,” Margot Harley, Cricket Australia’s head of competition development for the Big Bash said.

“That’s a continual growth for us, mixed with our continual weekend proposition which remains a cornerstone of great strong attendance and an afternoon at the cricket, which is what cricket is all about.”

The competition will begin with a grand final rematch on Sunday, October 27 between the Strikers and Heat at Adelaide Oval. The three-game finals series will start on Wednesday, November 27 with the final to be played on Sunday, December 1.

Every match of WBBL10 will be shown live on FOX SPORTS and available on Kayo Sports.

Originally published as WBBL10 on the move towards prime time, after decade of morning and weekday timeslots