WBBL Teams

The eight WBBL clubs in 2026–27

Weber WBBL|12 is the 12th edition of Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League. It runs from 29 October to 5 December 2026, with 43 matches across 38 days and the same eight city-based franchises: Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne’s Renegades and Stars, Perth, and Sydney’s Sixers and Thunder. Hobart arrives as reigning champion after winning its maiden title last season. 1

Adelaide Strikers Women

Adelaide enter WBBL|12 seeking a cleaner season after finishing sixth in WBBL|11. Their previous campaign was disrupted by two washouts and an abandonment, but the bigger lesson in the official preview was cricketing: the Strikers felt their batting and bowling fell below their own standard. 2 Tahlia McGrath remains the key leadership reference, while the club has kept much of its core together.

The most visible changes are at the top of the order. England opener Maia Bouchier replaces Tammy Beaumont, and Emma de Broughe arrives from Melbourne Renegades. Laura Wolvaardt remains a major run-scoring presence and Sophie Ecclestone returns to lead a high-quality spin group with Amanda-Jade Wellington. Darcie Brown’s back injury rules her out of WBBL|12, making McGrath, Megan Schutt and the emerging Eleanor Larosa especially important to the attack. 2

Brisbane Heat Women

Brisbane’s Heat are rebuilding from an unusually difficult WBBL|11, when they finished eighth without a win. The reset is deliberately local. Georgia Redmayne takes over the captaincy, and the club is again leaning on its Queensland core, a formula associated with seven consecutive finals appearances before last season. 3

The preview initially listed two overseas players, England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and Ireland allrounder Orla Prendergast; after Jess Jonassen’s season-ending injury, Cricket Australia reported India wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia as a late addition. Grace Harris supplies explosive batting when available, while Lucy Hamilton’s rise gives the attack a young Australian pace leader. The useful question for Brisbane is not whether last year can be erased, but how quickly its local depth can translate recent Queensland success into T20 wins. 3

Hobart Hurricanes Women

Hobart are the team everyone measures against at the start of WBBL|12. The Hurricanes won their maiden WBBL title last season, and this is the Hurricanes’ first campaign defending that championship. 4 The challenge is to defend that achievement without retired captain Elyse Villani and without several major contributors from the final-winning group.

Nicola Carey now wears the captain’s responsibility, supported by a core that includes Heather Graham, Lizelle Lee, Ruth Johnston and the Smiths, Lauren and Linsey. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu replaces the unavailable Danni Wyatt-Hodge as a major top-order option, while West Indies allrounder Chinelle Henry brings middle-order power after moving from Brisbane. Hobart’s identity is therefore continuity with a new leadership layer: the club retained 11 players from last season’s roster while adding enough variety to pursue consecutive titles for the first time. 4

Melbourne Renegades Women

The Renegades finished fifth in WBBL|11, but their current story is larger than one ladder position. They won WBBL|10 and now seek another finals appearance. Sophie Molineux leads a side determined to finish the chapter with the aggressive, high-energy cricket associated with the red brand. 5

The list has genuine variety. Hayley Matthews returns after shoulder surgery, joining fellow West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin and South Africa’s Chloe Tryon. Georgia Wareham was the standout Renegades player last season, leading both runs and wickets, while Tayla Vlaeminck’s potential return adds interest to a quick-bowling group that also includes Milly Illingworth and Sara Kennedy. New coach Gavan Twining is shaping a side built around pace, spin and late-innings hitting rather than a single superstar dependency. 5

Melbourne Stars Women

The Stars restored themselves to the WBBL|11 top four, and WBBL|12 begins with an experienced change at the top. Meg Lanning returns as captain after two seasons in which Annabel Sutherland held the role; Sutherland remains an important allrounder and leadership voice. Richard Pyrah is the new head coach. 6

Lanning led the league for runs last season with 479, giving the Stars a stable batting reference. The group has also added England off-spinner Charlie Dean to support Sophie Day and Maisy Gibson, while Amy Jones and Dani Gibson return as overseas contributors. The loss of Marizanne Kapp removes a proven allrounder, so the Stars will need their domestic core, including Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland, to cover different phases. Their appeal is a balance of established leadership and a chance for younger players to grow around it. 6

Perth Scorchers Women

Perth came agonisingly close to a second WBBL title last season, reaching the final after defeating the Stars and Sixers before losing to Hobart. The Scorchers’ own season preview presents that run as evidence that the side is ready for another challenge rather than as a reason to rebuild. 7

Beth Mooney remains the headline batter and wicketkeeper, with Katie Mack returning after a strong first season in orange. Captain Sophie Devine is entering her seventh season as a Scorcher, while Alana King anchors the spin attack and Chloe Ainsworth leads the pace-development story after a strong WBBL|11. Freya Kemp returns, and Pakistan captain Fatima Sana completes the overseas trio for the first eight games. Perth’s identity is experienced match-winners supported by a growing Western Australian group. 7

Sydney Sixers Women

The Sixers returned to the finals last season for the first time since WBBL|08 and finished third, losing the Challenger to Perth. They also won the 2026 T20 Spring Challenge, giving the magenta club a useful pre-season result without confusing it with the WBBL competition itself. 8

Ashleigh Gardner begins her second season as captain, with Pete Clarke taking over as head coach. Ellyse Perry and Sophia Dunkley formed one of the competition’s most productive batting partnerships last year, while Amelia Kerr offers elite allround value. England’s Alice Capsey arrives from the Renegades, and Maddy Darke returns from Perth to take the wicketkeeping role after Alyssa Healy’s retirement. Sarah Coyte is also back in magenta, adding experience to a group that already has considerable depth. 8

Sydney Thunder Women

The Thunder finished seventh in WBBL|11, only two points outside the top four, so the official preview frames the gap as addressable rather than terminal. Phoebe Litchfield remains captain and the club has preserved an exciting local batting core around her, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson and Anika Learoyd. 9

Recruitment focuses on the areas that hurt last season. England quick Lauren Bell replaces some of the lost pace threat, South Africa allrounder Nadine de Klerk adds middle-order power and seam, and Nicola Hancock arrives from Brisbane. Jemma Barsby gives the spin department another experienced option, while Heather Knight returns for a fifth Thunder season and supplies leadership around Litchfield. Sydney’s lime-green side is young, but it is not short of structure: the 2026–27 list combines a settled local batting base with international answers to specific bowling and finishing needs. 9

Official club links

Choose a club’s filtered view in the WBBL schedule to find its dates, then compare the standings and season grounds. Official club links above provide direct access to current announcements; availability can change during the season.