International Cricket

WBBL 11 Fixture Release Day-by-Day Broadcast Decoded

Anjali Iyer 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~5 min read ~962 words

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Cricket Australia has released the WBBL 11 fixture schedule, with the league running October 24 through December 6, 2026. The eight-franchise tournament uses double-headers with selected BBL 16 matches across the late-November and early-December window to drive broadcast volume and ticket cross-sell. With Sydney Sixers defending their 2025 title under Ellyse Perry's captaincy, Adelaide Strikers chasing a maiden trophy, and the new Melbourne Stars rebuilding under captain Annabel Sutherland, this is the most-watched WBBL window yet. Here is the full day-by-day decode of fixtures, broadcast routing, and the squad-tracker per franchise.

Opening week, October 24-30

WBBL 11 opens October 24 with Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder at the Sydney Cricket Ground, kick-off 18:00 AEDT, the marquee Sydney derby that traditionally launches the tournament. October 25 sees Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars at the Junction Oval, kick-off 14:30 AEDT in the day game slot. October 26: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes at Karen Rolton Oval, kick-off 18:00 ACDT. October 27: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers at Allan Border Field, kick-off 18:00 AEST. October 28: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars at Sydney Showground, kick-off 14:30 AEDT. October 29: Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers at the SCG, kick-off 18:00 AEDT. October 30 closes the opening week with Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat at the Junction Oval, kick-off 18:00 AEDT.

Mid-tournament fixtures

The mid-tournament block runs October 31 through November 26, with each franchise completing the 14-fixture regular season. The mid-tournament marquee is the November 14 fixture between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars at the SCG, kick-off 18:00 AEDT, which historically delivers the largest single-fixture broadcast audience of the WBBL season. The Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat fixture on November 19 at Karen Rolton Oval is the secondary marquee, with both sides expected to be playoff-bound. WBBL 11 has confirmed weekend double-headers across all eight venues, with the November 21-22 Junction Oval weekend carrying back-to-back fixtures. Travel logistics for the WBBL are the most-challenging of any women's franchise league, with cross-country fixtures generating two-hour interstate flights.

Playoff block, December 1-6

The 2026-27 WBBL closes with the qualifier on December 1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the eliminator on December 3 at the Adelaide Oval, and the final on December 6 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Cricket Australia has confirmed the MCG as the rotational host for the 2026-27 final, with the Melbourne hosting rights moving back from the SCG (the 2025-26 host). Capacity at the MCG is 100,000, with the WBBL final ticket allocation set at 35,000 for the cricket-only fixture and 50,000 for the BBL 16 fixture that will be double-headered with it later that day. Ticket pricing ranges from AUD 25 in general admission to AUD 295 in the corporate hospitality tier. The final's commercial value is estimated at AUD 18 million across broadcast, hospitality and ticketing revenue.

Squad tracker and broadcast routing

The WBBL 11 retention window saw most franchises retain their core overseas players. Sydney Sixers have retained Ellyse Perry, Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine. Adelaide Strikers have kept Megan Schutt, Tahlia McGrath and Bess Heath. Melbourne Stars have brought in Annabel Sutherland, Beth Mooney and Sophia Dunkley. Hobart Hurricanes have signed Heather Knight, Lizelle Lee and Nida Dar. Brisbane Heat have retained Grace Harris, Georgia Voll and Litchfield. Melbourne Renegades have kept Hayley Matthews, Jess Jonassen and Sophie Molineux. Perth Scorchers have brought in Beth Mooney, Heather Graham and Marizanne Kapp. Sydney Thunder have retained Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield. Broadcast routing: Channel Seven and Fox Cricket as the in-country broadcasters, Star Sports for India, FanCode streaming, Sky NZ for New Zealand.

What it means

WBBL 11 is the most-watched fixture release in the women's game's history. The retention of the marquee overseas-pool players, including Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine and the McGrath sisters, plus the Sydney-Melbourne marquee derbies, sets up a tournament that will benchmark women's franchise cricket globally. Watch the October 24 Sydney derby at the SCG for the early tone, the November 14 marquee between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars for the cricket-quality benchmark, and the December 6 final at the MCG for the showpiece event. The double-header with the BBL final makes this the most-commercial WBBL season ever produced.