Big Bash chief backs WBBL as Women's Cricket's top league amid rising WPL, Hundred competition

The head of the Big Bash League has expressed confidence that the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) continues to be the world's premier domestic women's T20 competition despite the rapid rise of the Women's Premier League (WPL) and The Hundred, both of which now offer significantly higher financial rewards to top players.

Cricket Australia recently unveiled the schedule for the 2026-27 WBBL season. The tournament will feature fewer morning fixtures and neutral venue matches, while a greater number of games will be played during the popular Friday-to-Sunday window. The season is scheduled to begin on October 29, with the final set for December 5. The Knockout and Challenger matches will take place on December 1 and December 3, respectively.

The WBBL now occupies one of three dedicated windows in the women's cricket calendar. The WPL has shifted to January, while The Hundred is held during July and August. Despite maintaining a prominent place on the calendar, the WBBL faces growing competition in terms of player salaries.

During this year's The Hundred player draft, Australian star Beth Mooney secured a contract worth approximately AU$400,000, more than three times the maximum salary available under a WBBL contract. Currently, the highest-paid overseas players selected through the WBBL Draft receive AU$110,000.

"We watch closely and work closely with both the Hundred and the WPL. Each bring different strengths. You can see that just the scale of the WPL in India, like cricket generally, is significant. I think from a WBBL perspective, it still prides itself on being the toughest comp with the best, the highest standard and really the place for players to test themselves,” said executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson as quoted by Cricinfo.

"And then we love watching the Hundred and particularly what they've been able to do in some of the biggest stadiums in the UK. So I think each of the three leagues have a unique proposition. We still believe the WBBL is the best of all of them, but it's good to have competition. And I think we're in different windows, so there's less conflict or competition around [the] window,” he added.

The opening day of the WBBL season will feature an double-header involving Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars, with both teams taking centre stage at Junction Oval.

Melbourne Renegades will kick off the tournament against Sydney Thunder before Melbourne Stars face defending champions Hobart Hurricanes in the second match of the day. The fixtures will also showcase Junction Oval's newly installed floodlights, allowing Cricket Australia to schedule more matches in prime-time evening slots and enhance the viewing experience for fans.

The season opener could also mark a significant moment in WBBL history, as it may be the final campaign featuring both Melbourne-based franchises. Cricket Victoria has announced plans to merge the operations of the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars and sell one of the two WBBL licences, with the Renegades' licence currently expected to be the one placed on the market. If the proposal proceeds, the 2026-27 season could be the last in which both clubs compete separately in the tournament.

"First thing I'd say is nothing's certain, nothing's decided or definitive in terms of the future of those clubs or any of our clubs. A lot of work is going on to establish the best model and set up for the Big Bash going forward. That's been clearly a topic of lots of discussion. Our eyes are firmly focused on this season with those two clubs and, from a playing perspective, their lists are in good shape,” said Dobson.

"Obviously, the Junction Oval is becoming an even better venue for WBBL. There's been some different considerations this year and different sorts of work going on with those clubs, but as we get into the start of the WBBL, our optimism around those clubs is high. As you can see by scheduling them on day one of the competition to host games, that sort of shows where we feel those clubs will be at the start of the season,” he added.