2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season explained

2018–19 Women's Big Bash League
Administrator:	Cricket Australia
Cricket Format:	Twenty20
Tournament Format:	Double round robin and knockout finals
Champions:	Brisbane Heat
Count:	1
Runner Up:	Sydney Sixers
Participants:	8
Matches:	57
Attendance:	135861
Player Of The Series:	Ellyse Perry (SYS)
Most Runs:	Ellyse Perry (SYS) – 778
Most Wickets:	Heather Graham (PRS) – 22
Previous Year:	2017–18
Previous Tournament:	2017–18 Women's Big Bash League season
Next Year:	2019–20
Next Tournament:	2019–20 Women's Big Bash League season

The 2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|04 was the fourth season of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 1 December 2018 to 26 January 2019.^[1]

Double-defending champions, the Sydney Sixers, ended the regular season on top of the ladder, while captain Ellyse Perry broke the scoring record for a sole WBBL campaign and was named Player of the Tournament.

In the two semi-finals at Drummoyne Oval on 19 January, the Brisbane Heat eliminated the Sydney Thunder before the Sydney Sixers knocked out the Melbourne Renegades. Both matches, notable for their "miracle"^[2] endings, were hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket"^[3] and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success".^[4]

In the final, also at Drummoyne Oval, the Heat caused an upset by defeating the Sixers with three wickets in hand and four balls remaining to claim their maiden title.^[5] Despite suffering from the flu and heat stroke, Beth Mooney managed to play a pivotal innings of 65 runs from 46 balls and was named Player of the Final.^[6]

Teams

Each squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas.^[7] Under a new rule, Australian marquees were defined as players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing on for their WBBL|04 team. This, combined with the introduction of two-year contracts ahead of the previous season, meant that the Sydney Sixers would inadvertently exceed their marquee player limit in 2018–19. To address this inequity, an injured or unavailable Sixers marquee could only be replaced by a domestic player.^[8]

Team	Home ground	Secondary grounds	Coach	Captain	Australian representatives	Overseas players
	Adelaide Strikers	Karen Rolton Oval (3)	Adelaide Oval (2) Albrecht Oval (2)	Andrea McCauley	Suzie Bates	Megan Schutt Sarah Coyte Tahlia McGrath	Suzie Bates Sophie Devine Danielle Hazell
	Brisbane Heat	The Gabba (2)	Harrup Park (2) Cazaly's Stadium (1)	Peter McGiffin	Kirby Short	Jess Jonassen Beth Mooney Grace Harris Delissa Kimmince	Suné Luus Laura Wolvaardt
	Hobart Hurricanes	Blundstone Arena (3)	UTAS Stadium (2) West Park Oval (2)	Salliann Briggs	Sasha Moloney	N/A	Heather Knight Smriti Mandhana Hayley Matthews Alex Hartley
		CitiPower Centre (3)	GMHBA Stadium (2) Eastern Oval (1) Geelong Cricket Ground (1) Marvel Stadium (1)	Tim Coyle		Jess Duffin Sophie Molineux Molly Strano Tayla Vlaeminck Georgia Wareham	Amy Satterthwaite Lea Tahuhu Danielle Wyatt
	Melbourne Stars		Casey Fields (2) CitiPower Centre (1)	David Hemp	Kristen Beams	Kristen Beams Holly Ferling Erin Osborne	Mignon du Preez Georgia Elwiss Lizelle Lee Katey Martin
	Perth Scorchers	Lilac Hill Park (3)	WACA Ground (2) Optus Stadium (1)	Lisa Keightley	Meg Lanning	Nicole Bolton Meg Lanning Elyse Villani Lauren Ebsary	Kate Cross Amy Jones Hayley Jensen
	Sydney Sixers	Sydney Cricket Ground (2)	Drummoyne Oval (2) Hurstville Oval (2) North Sydney Oval (2)	Ben Sawyer	Ellyse Perry	Lauren Cheatle Ashleigh Gardner Alyssa Healy Ellyse Perry Sarah Aley	Marizanne Kapp Sara McGlashan Dane van Niekerk
	Sydney Thunder	Spotless Stadium (3)	Bankstown Oval (1) Drummoyne Oval (1) Manuka Oval (1) North Sydney Oval (1)		Alex Blackwell	Alex Blackwell Rachael Haynes Nicola Carey Rene Farrell Naomi Stalenberg Belinda Vakarewa	Rachel Priest Stafanie Taylor

Personnel changes

Local players

The table below lists local player movements made ahead of the season.

Player	Departed	→	Joined	Notes	Ref(s)
Sarah Coyte	Sydney Sixers	→	Adelaide Strikers	Returning to the Adelaide Strikers
Holly Ferling	Brisbane Heat	→	Melbourne Stars
Rhiann O'Donnell	Melbourne Renegades	→	Hobart Hurricanes
Nicola Hancock	Hobart Hurricanes	→	Melbourne Stars	Third WBBL club (previously played for the Melbourne Renegades)
Celeste Raack	Hobart Hurricanes	→	–	No longer eligible as a local player due to recent international appearances for Ireland
Anna Lanning	Melbourne Stars	→	Melbourne Renegades
Kris Britt	Melbourne Renegades	→	–	Retired
Hayley Jensen	Melbourne Renegades	→	–	No longer eligible as a local player due to recent international appearances for New Zealand Signed as an overseas marquee replacement player for the Perth Scorchers during the season
Angela Reakes	Sydney Sixers	→	Melbourne Stars
Hayleigh Brennan	Melbourne Stars	→	Perth Scorchers
Gemma Triscari	Melbourne Stars	→	–	Retired
Mikayla Hinkley	Perth Scorchers	→	–	Signed as a replacement player for the Hobart Hurricanes during the season

Changes made during the season included:

• Mikayla Hinkley (who had previously played for the Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers) signed with the Hobart Hurricanes as a replacement player.^[9]

Overseas players

The table below lists changes to overseas player allocations made ahead of the season.

Player	Departed	→	Joined	Notes	Ref(s)
Danielle Hazell	–	→	Adelaide Strikers	Previously played for the Melbourne Stars
Tammy Beaumont	Adelaide Strikers	→	–
Suné Luus	–	→	Brisbane Heat
Deandra Dottin	Brisbane Heat	→	–
Alex Hartley	–	→	Hobart Hurricanes	Replacement player
Heather Knight	–	→	Hobart Hurricanes	Returning to the Hobart Hurricanes
Smriti Mandhana	–	→	Hobart Hurricanes	Previously played for the Brisbane Heat
Lauren Winfield	Hobart Hurricanes	→	–
Veda Krishnamurthy	Hobart Hurricanes	→	–
Danni Wyatt	–	→	Melbourne Renegades	Returning to the Melbourne Renegades
Chamari Atapattu	Melbourne Renegades	→	–
Kate Cross	–	→	Perth Scorchers	Previously played for the Brisbane Heat
Amy Jones	Sydney Sixers	→	Perth Scorchers	Replacement player in WBBL|03|-| Katherine Brunt|Perth Scorchers|→|–||-| Nat Sciver|Perth Scorchers|→|–||-| Thamsyn Newton|Perth Scorchers|→|–|Replacement player in WBBL|03|}Changes made during the season included: New Zealand marquee Hayley Jensen (who had previously played for the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades) signed with the Perth Scorchers as a replacement player.^[10] ^[11] New Zealand marquee Katey Martin signed with the Melbourne Stars as a replacement player. Martin had performed a similar role with the Melbourne Stars in WBBL|03.^[12] Leadership Coaching changes made ahead of the season included: Salliann Briggs was appointed head coach of the Hobart Hurricanes, replacing Julia Price.^[13] Captaincy changes made ahead of the season included: Sasha Moloney was appointed captain of the Hobart Hurricanes, replacing Corinne Hall.^[14] Meg Lanning assumed the captaincy of the Perth Scorchers, replacing Elyse Villani.^[15] Captaincy changes made during the season included: Erin Osborne stood in as acting captain of the Melbourne Stars for eight games, replacing Kristen Beams who was sidelined with Achilles and finger injuries.^[16] ^[17] Elyse Villani stood in as acting captain of the Perth Scorchers for five games, replacing Meg Lanning who was sidelined with a back injury. Win–loss table Below is a summary of results for each team's fourteen regular season matches, plus finals where applicable, in chronological order. A team's opponent for any given match is listed above the margin of victory/defeat. Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SF F X X 6th 3rd X X 8th X 4th X X 7th X X 5th 1st X 2nd Fixtures All times are local time Week 1 -------------------- Week 2 ---------------------------- Week 3 -------------------------------------------- Week 4 ------------------------------------ Week 5 ------------------------------------ Week 6 ------------------------------------ Week 7 ------------------------ Knockout phase Semi-finals -------- Final ---- Statistics Highest totals Team Score Against Venue Date Sydney Sixers 1/206 (20 overs) Adelaide Strikers Hurstville Oval 28 December 2018 Hobart Hurricanes 6/196 (20 overs) Melbourne Stars West Park Oval 9 December 2018 Sydney Thunder 4/192 (20 overs) Brisbane Heat North Sydney Oval 9 December 2018 Adelaide Strikers 5/189 (20 overs) Hobart Hurricanes Karen Rolton Oval 8 January 2019 Hobart Hurricanes 8/189 (20 overs) Adelaide Strikers Karen Rolton Oval 8 January 2019 Last Updated: 25 January 2019 Most runs Player Team Runs Ellyse Perry Sydney Sixers 16 16 778 86.44 121.37 103 2 6 Sophie Devine Adelaide Strikers 13 13 556 46.33 136.60 99 0 4 Beth Mooney Brisbane Heat 16 16 486 37.38 127.89 102 1 2 Alyssa Healy Sydney Sixers 16 16 445 31.78 141.71 112 1 2 Suzie Bates Adelaide Strikers 14 14 421 35.08 112.26 79 0 3 Last Updated: 26 January 2019 Most wickets Player Team Heather Graham Perth Scorchers 14 14 22 16.95 7.36 3/25 13.8 Delissa Kimmince Brisbane Heat 16 16 22 17.59 6.80 4/18 15.5 Marizanne Kapp Sydney Sixers 16 16 20 17.50 5.80 4/27 18.1 Sammy-Jo Johnson Brisbane Heat 16 16 20 17.95 6.15 3/12 17.5 Stafanie Taylor Sydney Thunder 15 14 19 15.89 6.91 3/23 13.7 Last Updated: 26 January 2019 Awards Player of the tournament Player of the Tournament votes are awarded on a 3-2-1 basis by the two standing umpires at the conclusion of every match, meaning a player can receive a maximum of six votes per game.^[18] Pos. Player Team Votes 1st Ellyse Perry Sydney Sixers 38 2nd Sophie Devine Adelaide Strikers 30 3rd Grace Harris Brisbane Heat 25 =4th Meg Lanning Perth Scorchers 23 =4th Sophie Molineux Melbourne Renegades 23 =4th Sammy-Jo Johnson Brisbane Heat 23 5th Elyse Villani Perth Scorchers 22 Source: WBBL|04 Player of the Tournament Team of the tournament A twelve-player honorary squad recognising the standout performers of WBBL|04 was named by cricket.com.au: Ellyse Perry (Sydney Sixers) – captain Sophie Devine (Adelaide Strikers) Alyssa Healy (Sydney Sixers) – wicket-keeper Meg Lanning (Perth Scorchers) Grace Harris (Brisbane Heat) Stafanie Taylor (Sydney Thunder) Sammy-Jo Johnson (Brisbane Heat) Heather Graham (Perth Scorchers) Delissa Kimmince (Brisbane Heat) Marizanne Kapp (Sydney Sixers) Molly Strano (Melbourne Renegades) Sophie Molineux (Melbourne Renegades) – 12th player Young gun award Players under 21 years of age at the start of the season are eligible for the Young Gun Award. Weekly winners are selected over the course of the season by a panel of Cricket Australia officials based on match performance, on-field and off-field attitude, and their demonstration of skill, tenacity and good sportsmanship. Each weekly winner receives a $500 Rebel gift card and the overall winner receives a $5000 cash prize, as well as access to a learning and mentor program.^[19] Melbourne Renegades leg-spinner Georgia Wareham was named the Young Gun of WBBL|04 after claiming 11 wickets and finishing the regular season with the best economy rate in the league.^[20] "Player of the match" tally The table below shows the number of Player of the Match awards won by each player throughout the season. The career tally indicates the number of awards won by a player throughout her entire time in the league at the conclusion of the season, including awards won while previously playing for a different WBBL team. Player Team WBBL|04!Career|-|||Sydney Sixers||6||13|-|||Adelaide Strikers||4||9|-|||Brisbane Heat||4||4|-|||Perth Scorchers||3||4|-|||Melbourne Renegades||3||7|-|||Brisbane Heat||2||6|-|||Sydney Sixers||2||10|-|||Perth Scorchers||2||11|-|||Brisbane Heat||2||13|-|||Melbourne Stars||2||4|-|||Melbourne Renegades||2||9|-|||Sydney Thunder||2||8|-|||Adelaide Strikers||1||2|-|||Brisbane Heat||1||1|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||5|-|||Perth Scorchers||1||5|-|||Sydney Sixers||1||3|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||2|-|||Brisbane Heat||1||1|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||4|-|||Sydney Sixers||1||3|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||1|-|||Hobart Hurricanes||1||2|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||3|-|||Perth Scorchers||1||1|-|||Sydney Thunder||1||2|-|||Melbourne Stars||1||2|-|||Melbourne Stars||1||1|-|||Melbourne Stars||1||2|-|||Hobart Hurricanes||1||1|-|||Adelaide Strikers||1||4|-|||Melbourne Renegades||1||2|-|||Sydney Sixers||1||3|-|||Perth Scorchers||1||10|-|||Melbourne Renegades||1||4|} Attendance A total of 135,861 fans attended WBBL		04—an average of 2,384 per match (excluding the two games abandoned due to rain). This included some double-headers with men's BBL matches, such as the crowd of 14,983 reported for the match between Perth and Brisbane on Boxing Day played at Optus Stadium, and the crowd of 11,136 reported for the New Year's Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between the Stars and Renegades.^[21] A new record for the highest attendance at a standalone WBBL match was set on 5 January when the Brisbane Heat played the Adelaide Strikers at Harrup Park in front of 5,650 spectators. A total of 8,735 people attended the knockout stage of the tournament across two weekends at Drummoyne Oval, with all ticket proceeds donated to Dolly’s Dream. The final was announced as a sellout and attracted a crowd of 5,368. Audience A total of twenty-three matches were televised on Seven Network and Fox Cricket^[22] The remaining 36 matches were live streamed on the Cricket Australia website as well as the Cricket Australia Live App for mobile. Below are the television ratings for every game that was broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket during the season. The semi-final super over between the Sixers and Renegades was watched by a combined average audience of 423,000 (196,000 metro; 133,000 regional; 94,000 subscription).^[23] ^[24] The final was the most-watched WBBL game ever with a combined average audience of 479,000 and peaking at 812,000. Cricket Australia reported over 3.8 million highlight views on their YouTube channel and almost 10 million minutes viewed on the Cricket Network's live stream, with a 38 per cent rise of minutes viewed in Australia compared to the previous season. Match No Teams Average TV Ratings Seven Network Fox Cricket National 5 metro cities Subscription Session 1 Session 2 Session 1 Session 2 Session 1 & 2 1 Perth Scorchers v Hobart Hurricanes^[25] 41,000 2 Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars 96,000 51,000 3 Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat^[26] 50,000 4 Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Thunder 59,000 5 Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers^[27] 129,000 84,000 8 Brisbane Heat v Perth Scorchers 9 Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder^[28] 140,000 34,000 & 81,000 12 Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat 14 Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder 18 Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes 22 Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes^[29] ^[30] 42,000 26 Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars^[31] 191,000 86,000 30 Perth Scorchers v Brisbane Heat 36 Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat^[32] ^[33] 262,000 242,000 236,000 210,000 38 Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Sixers^[34] 35,000 40 Sydney Thunder v Sydney Sixers^[35] 42,000 41 Melbourne Renegades v Hobart Hurricanes 47 Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades 50 Brisbane Heat v Melbourne Stars 56 Melbourne Stars v Sydney Sixers Semi-final 1 Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat^[36] 166,000 188,000 98,000 120,000 33,000 Semi-final 2 Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades 221,000 266,000 136,000 156,000 76,000 Final Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat^[37] ^[38] 390,000 214,000 319,000 89,000 See also 2018–19 Big Bash League season Further reading News: Cherny . Daniel . WBBL 2018-19 season preview: club by club and predictions . 3 December 2018 . The Sydney Morning Herald . 24 November 2018. Web site: Cricket Network . WBBL04: All you need to know guide . Cricket.com.au . 30 November 2018 . 30 November 2018. Web site: Konstantopoulos . Mary . WBBL set to begin with a bang in Melbourne . theroar.com.au . 30 November 2018 . 30 November 2018. Web site: Konstantopoulos . Mary . WBBL returns to North Sydney Oval . theroar.com.au . 13 January 2019 . 6 December 2018 . 10. Web site: Konstantopoulos . Mary . Key WBBL match-ups happening in Hobart . theroar.com.au . 13 January 2019 . 13 December 2018 . 10. Web site: Konstantopoulos . Mary . Five teams remain in contention as WBBL hits halfway mark . theroar.com.au . 13 January 2019 . 3 January 2019 . 10. Web site: Konstantopoulos . Mary . WBBL update: Ellyse is Perry, Perry good . theroar.com.au . 13 January 2019 . 11 January 2019 . 10. Book: Lane . Daniel . Big Bash Superstars: Incredible insights, stats, lessons and inspirations from the Big Bash heroes . 2018 . Allen & Unwin . Crows Nest, NSW . 9781760528591. Web site: Malcolm . Alex . From T20 World Cup to WBBL: The party is set to continue . Cricinfo . 30 November 2018 . 30 November 2018. Web site: Malcolm . Alex . The players provide the sparkle on WBBL's opening day . Cricinfo . 2 December 2018 . 1 December 2018 . 6. The Cricketer . WOMEN'S BIG BASH: Team by team guides for 2018/19 season . . 28 November 2018 . 6 July 2020. External links Official fixtures Series home at ESPN Cricinfo

Notes and References

1. News: Full WBBL 04 schedule revealed . Cricket Australia . 16 July 2018 . 16 July 2018.
2. News: McMurtry. Andrew. 19 January 2019. Incredible WBBL semi-finals leave Australia speechless after back-to-back final ball miracle finishes. news.com.au. 27 January 2019.
3. News: Maurice. Megan. 2019-01-20. Women's cricket the winner in WBBL semis. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-05-12. 0261-3077.
4. Web site: Given a Fairbreak, the WBBL has shown its true value. Lawson. Geoff. 2019-01-26. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2020-05-12.
5. News: Jolly . Laura. Heat topple Sixers in classic WBBL final . Cricket Australia . 26 January 2019 . 26 January 2019.
6. Web site: Mooney braves heat, illness in title win. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-05-12.
7. Web site: WBBL04: All you need to know guide. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-06.
8. Web site: All the WBBL squads so far. cricket.com.au. en. 2020-04-06.
9. Web site: Hinkley a Hurricane after whirlwind week. 2021-08-24. Hobart Hurricanes. en.
10. Web site: Squad Release WBBL04 Games 4 and 5. 2021-08-24. Perth Scorchers. en.
11. Web site: WBBL SQUAD RELEASE MATCH 12. 2021-08-24. Perth Scorchers. en.
12. Web site: Stars name squad to take on Heat. 2021-08-24. Melbourne Stars. en.
13. Web site: Tassie, 'Canes turn to English mentor. 2021-08-24. cricket.com.au. en.
14. Web site: Sasha Moloney re-signs for WBBL04 as captain!. 2021-08-24. Hobart Hurricanes. en.
15. Web site: Lanning set to make WBBL return. 2021-08-24. cricket.com.au. en.
16. Web site: Stars name squad for Big Weekend. 2021-08-24. Melbourne Stars. en.
17. Web site: Osborne to stand in as skipper v Strikers. 2021-08-24. Melbourne Stars. en.
18. Web site: Devine runner-up WBBL04 Player of the tournament Adelaide Strikers - BBL. www.adelaidestrikers.com.au. 2019-11-04.
19. Web site: Rebel renews as naming rights partner of WBBL Cricket Australia. www.cricketaustralia.com.au. 2019-11-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20191104080849/https://www.cricketaustralia.com.au/media/media-releases/rebel-renews-as-naming-rights-partner-of-wbbl/2017-12-07. 4 November 2019. dead.
20. Web site: Wareham named Rebel Young Gun. cricket.com.au. en. 2019-11-04.
21. Web site: 'Gades call on Sri Lanka star for WBBL finals tilt. 2019-11-30. cricket.com.au. en.
22. Web site: How to watch all of the WBBL 04 Action. www.bigbash.com.au. 17 July 2018.
23. Web site:
    1. TVratings Saturday #cricket #Seven #WBBL04 Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades
    . Mediaweek. 2019-01-19. @MediaweekAUS. en. 2019-11-04.
24. Web site: Saturday 19 January 2019. 2019-01-20. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
25. Web site: Saturday 1 December 2018. 2018-12-02. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
26. Web site: Sunday 2 December 2018. 2018-12-03. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
27. Web site: Friday 7 December 2018. 2018-12-08. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
28. Web site: Saturday 8 December 2018. 2018-12-09. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
29. Web site: Friday 21 December 2018. 2018-12-22. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
30. Web site:
    1. TVratings Friday STV #WBBL #FoxCricket Thunder v Hurricanes
    . Mediaweek. 2018-12-21. @MediaweekAUS. en. 2019-11-04.
31. Web site: Sunday 23 December 2018. 2018-12-24. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
32. Web site: Sunday 30 December 2018. 2018-12-31. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
33. Web site:
    1. TVratings Sunday #cricket #Seven #WBBL Hobart v Brisbane
    . Mediaweek. 2018-12-30. @MediaweekAUS. en. 2019-11-04.
34. Web site: Monday 31 December 2018. 2019-01-01. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
35. Web site: Wednesday 2 January 2019. 2019-01-03. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.
36. Web site:
    1. TVratings Saturday #cricket #Seven #WBBL04 Sydney Thunder v Brisbane Heat
    . Mediaweek. 2019-01-19. @MediaweekAUS. en. 2019-11-04.
37. News: Thrilling finals cap off successful WBBL04. 30 January 2019. 2 November 2019. Cricket Australia.
38. Web site: Saturday 26 January 2019. 2019-01-26. TV Tonight. en-AU. 2019-11-04.