AFTER an entertaining home and away portion of this year’s Women’s Big Bash League season, it is now time for the finals.
Four teams are left – Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder and the Hobart Hurricanes. Some have harder paths to The Final than others, but they all have a better chance at the title than half the competition.
The story of the season really has been the Melbourne Renegades. Going from bottom of the table last season to topping it in 2024, it has truly been a season to remember for those in red.
Having Sophie Molineux all season has helped, but having Hayley Matthews in ripping form with the bat, Deandra Dottin scoring quickly and Alice Capsey taking plenty of wickets have all been huge bonuses for the Renegades this season.
After finishing top of the table, they will host The Final at the MCG on Sunday, so get to take it a bit easy during the week as they wait to see who their opponent will be.
The Renegades almost got their top spot pinched off them at the death by the Brisbane Heat, but the Heat did not score quickly enough in their final match of the season, resigning them to second spot on the table.
The Heat did finish one spot higher than they did in WBBL09 though, so their path to making The Final is one step shorter than it was last season.
Brisbane has the weapons to make an impact both with bat and ball.
Grace Harris has had another stellar season, and alongside the strike rate prowess of her sister Laura as well as Jemimah Rodrigues, that is one intimidating top order. With the ball, it has been the experience of Jess Jonassen but also the youth of the likes of break out star Lucy Hamilton that has gotten the Heat this far.
The Heat will host The Challenger, and await to see who wins tomorrow’s Knockout to see who their opponent will be.
Tomorrow’s night The Knockout will see the third placed Sydney Thunder host the fourth placed Hobart Hurricanes.
When the two met earlier in the year it was a win to the Thunder, but will history repeat itself this time?
For the Thunder, the likes of Sam Bates and Chamari Athapaththu will be working hard to keep the Hurricanes’ score to a minimum and ensuring the likes of Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield have an as easy time as possible.
Meanwhile for the Hurricanes their strength is really their top order, with Lizelle Lee in particular in absolutely scintillating form. Heather Graham and Nicola Carey have had pretty good seasons with the ball, but they do not compare to what Lee and to a lesser extent Elyse Villani have done at the top of the order.
WBBL|10 Finals
The Knockout: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Drummoyne Oval | November 27 at 7:15pm local time
The Challenger: Brisbane Heat v TBC | Allan Border Field | Friday, November 29 at 6:15pm local time
The Final: Melbourne Renegades v TBC | MCG | Sunday, December 1 at 1:20pm local time
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