Women's Big Bash League final to be held separately in 2018-19 season

The fourth edition of Women's Big Bash League will run from December 1 to January 26.

Courtesy (ESPN Cricinfo)

The 2018-19 season of the Women's Big Bah League will have a separate final and will not clash on the same day as the men's final for the first time. Cricket Australia announced this development on Monday (July 16). The fourth edition of Women's Big Bash League will run from December 1 to January 26. 

The tournament will start a week after the completion of the Women's World T20 in West Indies, with as many as 59 matches to be played across 57 days across over 20 venues, including two new venues in Burnie and Cairns. The WBBL 4 kicks off on the weekend of December 1 and 2 at Melbourne's newly-renovated CitiPower Centre, with all eight teams playing across the two days.

As per latest reports, the team finishing first on the points table will bag the right to host a home semi-final, while the highest-ranked team that qualifies for the final will get to host the summit clash. Both semifinals will be held at the same venue on January 19 while the final will be held on January 26.

Moreover,  It was also announced that a Christmas eve match - featuring Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes - will be played at the Spotless stadium in Sydney while the Optus stadium in Perth will host its first WBBL night game when Perth Scorchers take on Brisbane Heat on Boxing Day. 

As far as the broadcasting of the games are concerned, Seven Network and Fox Sports will broadcast 23 matches while the remaining 36 will be streamed on the Cricket Australia website and also its official app. 

"As the popularity of women's cricket keeps growing in Australia, the WBBL continues to cement itself as one of the best family-friendly entertainment options each summer, with world class on and off-field action," Kim McConnie, head of the Big Bash Leagues, said.

"Following the success of the third season of the WBBL, our season will begin with a festival weekend at CitiPower Centre where all eight clubs will compete across four matches, ensuring the perfect start to the summer of Big Bash entertainment."

Meanwhile, McConnie also confirmed that a stand-alone final for the WBBL was a step towards holding the tournament independent of the Big Bash League in the 2019-20 season. "Giving the WBBL its own window for finals is an important step for the League as we look ahead to a stand-alone fixture in the 2019-20 season," McConnie said.

(Inputs from Cricbuzz) 

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 16 Jul, 2018

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