This season, matches in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) will be played at Australia’s two most recognizable grounds, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Hosting league games at such renowned locations is undoubtedly an improvement for the WBBL, according to Alistair Dobson, head of the Big Bash Leagues.
Since the WBBL became a stand-alone event in the 2019–20 season, the MCG and SCG have not hosted any WBBL matches. Twelve women’s BBL games, including the 2015–16 season finals, had previously taken place at the MCG, but all of those contests served as openers for men’s BBL games. This time, the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers will square off at the SCG, while the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will play in a derby at the MCG.
According to CRIKETMOOD, Dobson told the reporters, “We see the evolution of the WBBL continuing to demonstrate that it’s the best cricket league in the world with the best players in the world, and looking to start playing games in the biggest and best stadiums is a really important part of that.”
“If you want to start building momentum for a longer-term adventure, doing it on a lesser scale this year with three or four matches at various venues is a terrific idea. But it’s a pretty apparent and natural next step for us,” he continued. “What it looks like in the medium to long term is all part of what we’ll find out.
Less neutral venue matches will be played in the WBBL in 2023, as the league is expanding to make it a fully scheduled home and away fixture for teams. It’s interesting to note that the ninth season of the WBBL won’t feature any international matches for men’s cricket in Australia. The ODI World Cup in India in 2023 will clash with it, though.
Making WBBL matches available at MCG and SCG is sure to increase viewership.
“We’ll use several metrics to determine whether those games were successful. From the standpoint of attendance, we wouldn’t really put a number on it. The BBL president said, “Of course, we’ll work extremely hard with our clubs, the venues, and all of our partners to get people there, but equally now it’s about the experience of the players—and the experience of the fans—that are there.
At North Sydney Oval, the competition begins on October 19. November 25 is the scheduled date for the Melbourne Derby, and November 26 is the scheduled date for the Sydney Derby.
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