This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Cricket Australia has given the go-ahead for the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League to get under way later this year, featuring eight teams aligned to those in the current men’s competition.

The new domestic league replaces the existing seven-team Women’s T20, with Melbourne and Sydney to be assigned two teams each, meaning there is no place for Tradies ACT Meteors in the reconfigured competition.

It is not yet known what the impact on the existing one-day Women’s National Cricket League will be.

The new women’s franchises will take the names of the men’s teams and wear the same colours for the 2015-16 season, although details of the exact format of the competition are still under discussion.



“We see T20 as the premium format of the women’s game and the WBBL is an exciting concept that will increase the promotion and exposure of women’s cricket,” Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said.

“We want cricket to be the number one sport for girls and women in Australia and we believe that the WBBL can assist this goal by creating an inspiring visible pathway for the next generation of players, fans and volunteers.

“Aligning the WBBL brands with the BBL brands will help cricket to appeal to a broader audience and gain greater exposure.”

A host of star names will be expected to attract interest at grass-roots level and aid the further development of the women’s game.

“Our existing female domestic competitions are arguably the strongest in the world with the continued success of the top-ranked women’s team, the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, a testament to that,” Sutherland said.

“The WBBL will build on this foundation and will create a clear participation pathway for girls and their families, who are already engaged with cricket through the BBL.

“Players such as Meg Lanning, Alex Blackwell, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy continue to be exceptional ambassadors for Australian cricket, both on and off the field.

“They invest a huge amount of time and energy into their cricket and they each play an important role in promoting cricket as sport for all Australians.

“With the introduction of a WBBL, we want young girls to be able to dream about growing up and following in their footsteps.”