WBBL 2026 to begin on October 29, Junction Oval to host opening double-header

Cricket Australia (CA) unveiled the schedule for the Women’s Big Bash League 2026 (WBBL 2026) on Thursday, July 2. The 12^th season of the tournament is all set to begin with a double-header in Melbourne on Thursday, October 29, with the final scheduled on Saturday, December 5.

It is one of three dedicated windows for the major women's franchise leagues, with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) now scheduled in January and The Hundred taking place in July and August.

A total of 43 matches will be played across 38 days during the tournament, with Melbourne Renegades taking on Sydney Thunder in the opening fixture. On the other hand, Melbourne Stars will face the defending champions Hobart Hurricanes at Junction Oval, with the venue having new floodlights installed.

Both Melbourne Stars and Renegades, along with the Sydney Thunder, have each been awarded an extra home fixture this season. As a result, there will be just four neutral-venue matches across the tournament, down from seven in the previous WBBL season. As many as 14 double-header fixtures will be held during the course of the tournament.

The Junction Oval will also host both Melbourne derby fixtures, which will see the Melbourne Mace up for grabs in the WBBL for the first time. Moreover, all four Melbourne and Sydney derbies will be played on days that are free of international cricket.

Unlike the BBL, the WBBL will conclude with the three-match knockout fixtures after the league stage. The team finishing at the top in the league stage will directly qualify for the final and also host the summit clash. The third-placed team will host the fourth-placed side in the Knockout on Tuesday, December 1.

The winner of the Knockout will then face the second-placed team in the Challenger on Thursday, December 3, with a place in the final at stake.

Alistair Dobson, the executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, spoke about WBBL’s competition with The Hundred and WPL, mentioning that it remains the toughest league in the world, setting the highest standards for the others to follow.

WBBL is the best league in the world: Alistair Dobson

"We watch closely and work closely with both the Hundred and the WPL. Each brings 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 Dobson.

"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.

Dobson also commented on the future of the Melbourne clubs following Cricket Victoria's announcement to merge operations of both teams and sell Renegades, with Cricket Australia contemplating privatisation of all BBL clubs.

"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.

Women's Big Bash League Season 12 Full schedule