2026 Women's One Day Cup Preview

The nine team Women’s One Day Cup kicks off next Saturday (11th April) with the first four games of the season. The Blaze are the team that miss out on the first round, so their season gets underway the following Wednesday. England players are expected to be available for the games in April, although it would be no surprise if there are more batters than bowlers. Into May the English internationals will disappear and are unlikely to be seen again – series v New Zealand and India, before the T20 World Cup in June. The World Cup will also mean that teams will lose their Scottish internationals from the beginning of May.

Looking at the end of the season England have another series against Ireland in early September, which could cause further disruption, but there are no clashes for the semi-final and final dates mid-month.
It looks like being a really topsy turvy season that will test squad depth and here there looks to be a divide between the top three and the the bottom three.
Top three looks like being Lancashire, Surrey and Warwickshire.
And the bottom three are likely to be Durham, Essex, and Yorkshire.
That leaves Hampshire, The Blaze and Somerset as likely mid-tablers.
It will be interesting to see how the season pans out and whether some of the England hopefuls can live up to their billing having been in Lottie’s “Top 30 Players in the Country” games recently in South Africa.
So here are my views on all the teams. Make of them what you will. I will have regular updates after each round of games.

DURHAM

I can’t help feeling that Durham will struggle again this season, particularly without the assistance of Suzie Bates or any replacement overseas star.
Batting looks to be their Achilles’ heel, with much riding on the form of Hollie Armitage, as it did last year, but then she had the help of Bates for much of the season. Ploughing a lone furrow game after game will be a tough ask. Mady Villiers, Leah Dobson and Bess Heath will need to step up if Durham are to set competitive totals.
On the bowling front senior pro Katie Levick will continue to take wickets, and it will be interesting to see if the young pace bowler, Phoebe Turner, can continue her good start as a pro. She burst out of the traps last season, but the second season is always a bit more tricky.
The chances of Durham seeing much of Lauren Filer are pretty slim as she is likely to be involved with the England set-up, who won’t want her bowling in 50 over games before the T20 World Cup.
Scottish spinner Katherine Fraser may also be missing for a chunk of Durham’s campaign on international duties just to make their lives more difficult.

Last Year’s League Position : 6^th This Year’s League Position : 8^th
Squad : Hollie Armitage, Leah Dobson, Lauren Filer, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Harriet Robson, Lizzie Scott, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Emma Marlow, Mady Villiers, Emily Windsor
INS : None known
OUTS : Suzie Bates
England contracted : Lauren Filer
Overseas : Heather Graham (The Blast)

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ESSEX

Last season was a major struggle for the Essex team led by Grace Scrivens. They won only two of their 14 league fixtures with 18 players getting game time during the season.
Eva Gray toiled away with the ball, but took two thirds of her 15 wickets in just two games. Opening bowler Esmae McGregor looked a good prospect and she will hope to make further progress this season.
Much will be expected of England hopefuls Grace Scrivens and Jodi Grewcock, both with bat and ball. They were both in England’s “Top 30” in South Africa and if they want to remain in contention for an England cap (remember England play Ireland in September) then they will need to stand out at county level.
Scoring enough runs could again be their biggest issue, but they are unlikely to be significantly affected by international call-ups.

Last Year’s League Position : 8^th This Year’s League Position : 7^th
Squad : Amara Carr, Kate Coppack, Ariana Dowse, Jo Gardner, Eva Gray, Jodi Grewcock, Cordelia Griffith, Liberty Heap, Esmae MacGregor, Lissy Macleod, Abtaha Maqsood, Flo Miller, Sophie Munro, Grace Scrivens, Sophia Smale
INS : Liberty Heap (Lancs)
OUTS : None known
England contracted : None
Overseas : None

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HAMPSHIRE

Hampshire were the surprise team of 2025 missing out on the title thanks to a hundred from Lancs’s smart late-season recruit, Gabby Lewis. Their team for the first few games may look strong with England’s Bell, Bouchier, Smith and Kemp on hand, but their contributions may be limited after April, and with last year’s leading wicket-taker, Freya Davies, also missing now retired, life could become a struggle.
It means opportunities with the bat for bright prospects Ella McCaughan and Abi Norgrove and with the ball for Daisy Gibb, Bex Tyson and Poppy Tulloch.
The ace up the sleeve is nomadic Aussie Amanda Jade Wellington, who has moved along the south coast from Somerset. Her experience will be invaluable, but runs and not just wickets might be needed from her to help Hampshire stay in the top half.

Last Year’s League Position 1^st : This Year’s League Position : 4^th
Squad : Georgia Adams, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Naomi Dattani, Daisy Gibb, Hannah Hardwick, Nancy Harman, Freya Kemp, Ava Lee, Ella McCaughan, Abi Norgrove, Linsey Smith, Rhianna Southby, Pippa Sproul, Megan Sturge, Francesca Sweet, Poppy Tulloch, Bex Tyson, Amanda Jade Wellington
INS : Amanda Jade Wellington; Hannah Hardwick, Francesca Sweet; Pippa Sproul
OUTS : Freya Davies (retd); Daisy Mullan (released); Mary Taylor (Warks)
England contracted : Lauren Bell; Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Linsey Smith
Overseas : Amanda Jade Wellington

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LANCASHIRE

They only finished third in the league last season, but defeated The Blaze in the semi-final and then Hampshire in the Final to become the defending champions.
They relied heavily on Emma Lamb and Eve Jones for the bulk of their runs last year. They formed a formidable opening partnership. With the permanent addition of Final centurion Gaby Lewis they have a strong top order, but their middle order may be called upon to provide more runs this year – Threlkeld, Lister, Smale, Morris and perhaps young Kesteven (if given the chance). No doubt Kate Cross will keen for runs in the lower middle order too.
They are not likely to see a great deal of Sophie Ecclestone, so Hannah Jones, Sophie Morris and Fi Morris will have to step up.
Likely to be there or thereabouts.

Last Year’s League Position 3^rd : This Year’s League Position : 2^nd
Squad : Olivia Bell, Darcy Carter, Alice Clarke, Danielle Collins, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Grace Johnson, Eve Jones, Hannah Jones, Tilly Kesteven, Emma Lamb, Gabby Lewis, Ailsa Lister, Fi Morris, Sophie Morris, Tara Norris, Grace Potts, Seren Smale, Ellie Threlkeld
INS :
OUTS : Alana King, Katie Mack
England contracted : Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Emma Lamb
Scottish : Darcy Carter, Ailsa Lister
Overseas : Gaby Lewis, Meg Lanning (T20 Blast)

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SOMERSET

Last season Somerset got themselves into good positions in games, but could not get over the line. They are unlikely to have the services of Dean, Knight and Gibson for long so they will have to make a strong start. Without retiring stalwart Fran Wilson a lot will fall on the shoulders of Sophie Luff to lead a very young and inexperienced team. It looks a tough ask.
It looks difficult to see where their runs will come from. The likes of Holland, Corney and Griffiths will need to knuckle down. But in Katie Jones they do have an exciting young keeper behind the stumps.
Wickets were hard to come by last season, and with leading wicket-taker Amanda Jade Wellington departing to Hampshire, could be again. Spinners Chloe Skelton and Olivia Barnes will have to support seamers Ellie Anderson and Alex Griffiths.
Not sure Aussie Anika Learoyd is going to be a game changer.

Last Year’s League Position : 7^th This Year’s League Position : 5^th
Squad : Ellie Anderson, Olivia Barnes, Emma Corney, Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson, Alex Griffiths, Lola Harris, Jess Hazell, Niamh Holland, Katie Jones, Heather Knight, Sophie Luff, Mollie Robbins, Chloe Skelton, Rebecca Odgers, Erin Vukusic
INS :
OUTS : Amanda Jade Wellington, Fran Wilson, Laura Jackson
England contracted : Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson, Heather Knight
Overseas : Anika Learoyd (April-July)

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SURREY

Despite having the strongest squad on paper last season Surrey’s MBODC campaign was a poor one, particularly early season when their large England contingent failed to impose themselves. It was perhaps a sign of things to come.
Playing their home games at Beckenham runs were easy to come by, but wins were not. Have to think this could be the last chance saloon for coach Johann Myburg.
This year they will be playing home games at the Oval, where again you would think there will be runs aplenty, particularly as their England batters are likely to be with them for the first few rounds of the competition. Bowling still looks to be their weak suit. A disgruntled Alexa Stonehouse has gone on loan to Warwickshire and Tash Farrant has retired. The current status of Ryanna MacDonald-Gay, who suffered a stress-related back injury in The Hundred last year is not known, although recruiting Maitlan Brown for the early part of the season suggests she will not be available. She also took no part in England’s training camps over the winter. That leaves Phoebe Franklin, Priyanaz Chatterji and Alice Monaghan as the frontline seam options, with Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Danielle Gregory as the spin options. Hopefully TCC will be left by England to have a full county season. She looks their main threat.
The naming of Kira Chatli as captain suggests that Bryony Smith’s participation in the MBODC may be limited.

Last Year’s League Position : 4^th This Year’s League Position : 1^st
Squad : Emily Burke, Alice Capsey, Priyanaz Chatterji, Kira Chatli, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Aylish Cranstone, Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Gregory, Bethan Miles, Alice Davidson-Richards, Phoebe Franklin, Rachel King, Charlotte Lambert, Ryanna MacDonald-Gay, Alice Monaghan, Kalea Moore, Paige Scholfield, Bryony Smith, Jemima Spence, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
INS :
OUTS : Tash Farrant (retired); Emma Jones (The Blaze); Alexa Stonehouse (loan to Warwickshire)
England contracted : Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Dani Wyatt-Hodge, Ryanna MacDonald-Gay
Overseas : Maitlan Brown (11/4 – 16/5), Laura Harris (T20 Blast)

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THE BLAZE (Notts)

The chances of The Blaze, thankfully in their last season under that name, seeing much of Nat Sciver-Brunt are minimal, but then that has been forever so. However they are likely to see a lot more of Tammy Beaumont, and perhaps Amy Jones at the start of the season. They may need them as their domestic batting line-up is not strong.
They are also likely to be without skipper Kirstie Gordon and the Bryce sisters for the three rounds of MBODC games played in June during the T20 World Cup.
Opportunities then for Ella Claridge, Marie Kelly and Cassida McCarthy to step up, alongside overseas imports Orla Prendergast and Charli Knott.

Last Year’s League Position : 2^nd This Year’s League Position : 6^th
Squad : Liv Baker, Grace Ballinger, Tammy Beaumont, Georgie Boyce, Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Ella Claridge, Georgia Elwiss, Kirstie Gordon, Josie Groves, Lucy Higham, Amy Jones, Emma Jones, Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk, Charli Knott, Cassidy McCarthy, Charley Phillips, Orla Prendergast, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Anne Sharpe, Prisha Thanawala, Amy Wheeler
INS : Emma Jones (Surrey); Orla Prendergast; Charli Knott
OUTS : Sarah Glenn (Yorkshire); Scarlett Hughes
England contracted : Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt
Scottish :  Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Kirstie Gordon
Overseas : Orla Prendergast April/May & Aug/Sept; Charli Knott June/July

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WARWICKSHIRE

Early season the pressure will be on Davina Perrin to perform to try and force her way into the England T20 World Cup squad. It will be interesting to see how she copes.
Last season the top order was fragile and was frequently rescued by the middle and lower order, led by the dependable keeper/batter Abbey Freeborn. It will also be interesting to see who keeps for the first three months with Nat Wraith often preferred last season, and with Aussie B-Lister keeper/batter Georgia Redmayne also on her way to Edgbaston. Keeping or not she should shore up the Warwickshire batting line up and perhaps allow some of the youngsters to flourish on occasions – Austin, Brewer, Wraith, Ellis and new import Mary Taylor.
Taylor is really there for her seam bowling skills rather than her batting, but Warwickshire would do well to work with her on her batting as she could be a very useful asset.
At full strength they look a good team on paper…..but cricket isn’t played on paper.

Last Year’s League Position : 7^th This Year’s League Position : 3^rd
Squad : Em Arlott, Meg Austin, Hannah Baker, Chloe Brewer, Georgia Davis, Bethan Ellis, Abbey Freeborn, Katie George, Charis Paveley, Davina Perrin, Georgia Redmayne, Alexa Stonehouse, Amu Surenkumar, Mary Taylor, Millie Taylor, Issy Wong, Nat Wraith
INS : Mary Taylor (Hants), Alexa Stonehouse (on loan from Surrey)
OUTS : Hannah Hardwick (Hampshire)
England contracted : Em Arlott; Issy Wong
Overseas : Georgia Redmayne (until the end of July)

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YORKSHIRE

Having been the only professional team in Tier 2 last year Yorkshire will have been disappointed to have finished only fourth in the table, losing four of their nine games. They did however go on to win the final in a match reduced to 20 overs.
Leg spinner Olivia Thomas was their leading wicket-taker last year, but the transition to a higher standard may prove tricky for her. Jessica Woolston was their leading seamer and a lot will be asked of her this season too.
Senior pros Lauren Winfield-Hill and Aussie recruit Jess Jonassen are going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but two players nearing the end of their careers have their limitations. Should either get injured Yorkshire will be in a whole heap of trouble (or maybe that should be an even bigger heap of trouble).
It is difficult to see them winning many games, even when new recruit Sarah Glenn is available.

Last Year’s League Position : 4^th in Tier 2 This Year’s League Position : 9^th
Squad : Ami Campbell, Claudie Cooper, Rebecca Duckworth, Ria Fackrell, Sarah Glenn, Grace Hall, Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Beth Langston, Hannah Rainey, Rachel Slater, Erin Thomas, Olivia Thomas, Madie Ward, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Jessica Woolston
INS : Sarah Glenn (The Blaze)
OUTS : None known
England contracted : Sarah Glenn
Scottish : Hannah Rainey
Overseas : Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis

Martin Davies
05/IV/2026

Women's Premier League 2026 - A Quick Preview

This is the fourth edition of the Women's Premier League, which again will feature just five teams. Last year's winners were the Mumbai Indians, who beat three-times finalists Delhi Capitals in the final. Mumbai have won the title twice and RCB once (2024).
Before this edition there was a mega auction with the aim of shaking up the teams for the next two years, but many teams used their Right to Match to rebuy players, who had not been retained.
The bookmakers, and the experts, make the Mumbai Indians favourites to again lift the trophy, but the betting is tight. 

Here are the likely starting XIs for each team and some thoughts on how they might perform

Delhi Capitals (DC) 
Probable XI - Verma, Wolvaardt, Rodrigues (capt), Kapp, Prasad, Henry, King, T Bhatia (wk), S Rana, Charani, N Sharma
This XI leaves Lizelle Lee on the bench, but after her stellar WBBL she could get the nod ahead of Chinelle Henry in the middle order and also potentially play as wicketkeeper, which would allow DC to bring in another batter/bowler to replace Tanya Bhatia who is a keeper only. 
Jemimah Rodrigues has been handed the captaincy for the first time with Meg Lanning having been snaffled by UPW. She is a smart cricketing cookie, but her team look light in their batting and will rely on their domestic seamers backing up Marizanne Kapp, who looks to be batting too high at 4. 
Prediction - 3rd

Gujarat Giants (GG)
Probable XI - Mooney (wk), Devine, Fulmali (wk), Gardner (capt), Wareham, Ahuja, Soni, Gautam, Kanwar, Sadhu, R Singh.
I cannot help feeling that a lot will depend on the overseas players for GG, especially Beth Mooney with the bat. They also have Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Kim Garth sitting on the bench should they be needed, but their domestic talent looks weak. 
I am not sure that Ash Gardner is a natural leader and they will need her to perform with bat and ball, and I remain unconvinced by Renuka Singh as a T20 bowler, but Georgia Wareham looks to be in the form of her life with bat and ball. They might surprise a few people.
Prediction - 1st

Mumbai Indians (MI)
Probable XI - Kamalini (wk), Matthews, Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Khemnar, Sajana, Gupta, Ismail, Ishaque
MI are relying on Matthews, NSB and Kerr to get them runs and bowl probably 10 of the 20 overs. It is a lot to ask and none of them have been in great form recently. 37 year old Shabnim Ismail has been bought back in, despite having a fairly average record in all three previous WPL tournaments. Her bowling was also expensive in the latest WBBL. If she struggles then MI have little back-up.
I am intrigued to see what 17 year old Kamalini can do as Matthews opening partner. Matthews, who has not played a game since a pretty dire Hundred campaign in August, may be more of a liability.
Prediction - 2nd

Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB)
Probable XI - Mandhana (capt), Voll, Naik, Harris, Ghosh (wk), de Klerk, Vastrakar, R Yadav, Patil, Reddy, Bell
Lauren Bell has never played a game in the WPL and is potentially a big gamble for RCB.
While Smriti Mandhana looks nailed on to succeed Harmanpreet Kaur as India's next T20 captain she does not seem to handle the pressure of captaincy that well. 
If the explosive top order fire you can see them making a lot of runs, very quickly, but you can also see them imploding and being 10/4 in 3 overs. 
Without Perry and probably without Vastrakar (injured) this is not a very well balanced team and I think they will struggle.
Prediction - 5th

UP Warriorz (UPW)
Probable XI - Lanning (capt), Navgire, Deol, Litchfield, Sharma, Dottin, Giri (wk), Ecclestone, Sobhana, Pandey, Gaud
They finished bottom last year under the guidance of the sacked Jon Lewis, and have had a complete overhaul in the auction, with their hopes firmly pinned to the leadership and batting of Meg Lanning and the seam bowling of the ageing, and out of favour, Shikha Pandey. It looks like a big gamble. Deepti is not a T20 number 5, and Dottin and Navgire are hit and miss with the bat at the best of times. Lanning could end up batting the entire way through every innings and watching her partners disappear at the other end.
Perhaps this is the tournament that Phoebe Litchfield makes a sustained contribution? They will need her. 
Prediction - 4th

As I have reviewed each team I have genuinely placed four of these five teams in the Final and then changed my mind again. The only team I have ruled out of Final contention are RCB.

I am still not at all convinced by my own predictions for where these teams will finish. In such a short tournament I think it will come down to one or two players (almost certainly batters) finding some great form and winning their team key games. MI have the most potential to have one of those key players, but I am not convinced this will be their year. However I still think they will make the Final. Eventually I decided that GG would meet them there. Devine is in the twilight of her career and it seems to have freed her up. I think she might have a big tournament. 
I don't think DC have the batting depth to win enough games and UPW have too many holes in their line-up filled by high strike rate hopefuls (HSRHs). 

The whole thing kicks off on Friday with Mumbai Indians v RCB and will be shown live on Sky Sport. Most games start at 2pm each afternoon here in the UK. 

Martin Davies
07/I/2026

WBBL11 - Into Finals we Go....

So the league stage of this year's WBBL has concluded and we move onto the Finals - not quite sure how you can have more than one, but that is by the by! Here is a quick wrap up of what has happened this week, before a look at the three Finals!

Results this week:-
Scorchers  184/5 beat Renegades 154/9 by 30 runs
Sixers 164/5 beat Stars 148/8 by 16 runs
Thunder 153/7 beat Heat 130/6 by 23 runs
Sixers 130/9 lost to Renegades 134/4 by 6 wickets with 22 balls remaining
Strikers 167/4 No Result v Hurricanes due to a ball being rolled into the pitch
Stars 66/6 (10 overs) lost to Thunder 79/1 by 9 wickets with 17 balls remaining
Heat 164/7 lost to Scorchers 165/3 by 7 wickets with 4 balls remaining
Sixers 173/4 beat Strikers 172/7 by 1 run 

Points of Interest:-

• Sixers could possibly have finished top of the pile if they won all three of their games in the final week of the competition. They dispatched the Stars, but then failed to turn up against the Renegades. Other results meant the last game of the season v Strikers was a straight knockout. Sixers won by 1 run getting a run out off the last ball. I genuinely shed a tear for the Strikers.
• Just on that last game - great 100 from Ellyse Perry, but spare a thought for Bridget Patterson, who hit 65 off 35 balls when Strikers looked to have no hope. They needed 70 off the last 30 balls. They ended up needing 4 off 3 balls, after she deposited Ash Gardner for 4 4 6 off the first three balls of the last over. She then ran a leg bye.....in hindsight perhaps a mistake. Gardner bowled Wello next ball and Eccles was run out going for the tieing second off the last ball to leave Strikers agonisingly short. Cricket can be so cruel.
• Stars had 11 points from 8 games coming into the last week - at the end of it they still had 11 points and clung on to a qualifying spot by their fingernails. Having lost to the Sixers, they then got pasted by the Thunder in a 10 over shoot out, where their batters missed the target and their bowlers fired blanks. Can they reload before the Finals?
• The unluckiest person not to be involved in the Finals has to be Georgia Wareham. She has been inspirational for the Renegades, not only taking the most wickets in the competition, but at the best economy rate. That is an achievement on its own. But she has also scored 277 runs, averaging almost 40 every time she goes to the crease. Renegades need to recruit better overseas players for WBBL12. Having a recognisable name or one good innings are simply not enough.
• And finally - where does this tournament (and recent form) leave the careers of Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt? Should they be in the Australia T20 World Cup squad next year? Will Australia be bold enough to try a few new faces in the series against India in the new year? Are Australia as hard as they are made out to be? We will see.....

And so to the Finals games

Scorchers v Stars (The Knockout) - Bookies make the Scorchers favourites, but only just. I just cannot see the Stars winning. Their batters are not firing with the notable exception of the stoic Meg Lanning, and they are three bowlers light. That is not the recipe for winning cricket matches.
Sixers v Scorchers (The Challenger) - So let's assume......Sixers will have home advantage whoever they play, which means the game will be at North Sydney Oval, which means lots of runs. On paper Sixers have the better top 5 batters, but Healy and Kerr have contributed little and Gardner is a bit hit and miss (perhaps the pressure of captaincy weighs heavy?). They will be favourites, but cometh the hour cometh the Mooney or the Devine....
Hurricanes v Scorchers (The Final - finally) - Canes have been the dominant team all competition, but their last game ended when a groundsman rolled a ball into the Adelaide pitch, which means their batters haven't had a knock for nearly two weeks. Can Scorchers catch them cold in Cane's first ever WBBL final? I think they might just do it in a last ball thriller. Well we can hope can't we? 

No more nonsense from me on the WBBL, but I'm sure I'll find something else to share my random thoughts on soon........stay tuned.

Martin Davies
07/XII/2025

WBBL11 - The Final Countdown

We are already into the final week of WBBL11 with the Hurricanes securing their place in the play-offs today with a thumping win over the Stars. 

Results over the weekend were:-
Stars 160/5 beat Renegades 115ao by 45 runs
Scorchers 186/5 lost to Hurricanes 189/3 by 7 wickets with 5 balls remaining
Heat 149/9 lost to Strikers 151/4 by 6 wickets with 2 balls remaining
Thunder 174/6 lost to Sixers 176/4 by 6 wickets with 5 balls remaining
Hurricanes 176/4 beat Stars 98ao by 81 runs

Points of Interest

• Ellyse Perry batted like the Ellyse Perry of old as she took the Sixers to an important win over the Thunder, who are all but out of it
• Stars beat the Renegades to go briefly top of the table, only for Canes to beat Scorchers the same day and go back to the top. Canes then played the Stars and ground them into the Hobart mud. Stars have 11 points and are 99% certain of progressing, but will be without Marizanne Kapp for their last two league games. Should they lose those last two games, then Sixers, Strikers and Scorchers could all go past Stars and into the play-offs - the 1% could happen!
• Canes only have one game left to play - against the Strikers
  
• Sixers, on the other hand have three still to play - Stars, Renegades and Strikers. They could still finish top of the league and go straight through to the final. 

Games to play
Scorchers v Renegades - Both teams have an equal 4/4 record. Scorchers have to be favourites, but they are likely to need runs from either Mooney and/or Devine (no change there then)
Stars v Sixers - Stars are going to struggle without Kapp. They are a bowler light and they have brought in a batter, Maia Bouchier, to replace her. Could this be Sixers first win of three in the last week?
Thunder v Heat - Heat haven't really looked like winning a game, but Thunder haven't been much better. Will either side care? Probably not, which means someone will probably get a hundred!
Renegades v Sixers - Sixers might just have the M word, which means they could breeze past the Renegades for win number two!
Strikers v Hurricanes - Canes regathered their mojo against Stars and will be strong favourites to finish their campaign with their 8th win out of 10 games, which means they will finish top
Stars v Thunder - A must-win game for the Stars, although even if they get through to the Knockout match they are unlikely to go any further in the competition. Think they may crumble.
Scorchers v Heat - Scorchers will kick themselves if they don't win this one which should give them the squeakiest of squeaks of getting to the Knockout game.
Sixers v Strikers - Sixers third chance to win, and a win will almost certainly consign Strikers to the bin, if they are not there already. Think Sixers will be on a roll.....

Martin Davies
01/12/2025

WBBL11 - The penultimate weekend...

This week has seen the Heat's chances of qualifying for the Top 4 finally extinguished, with another loss followed by a first point as the rain in Adelaide not only wrecked their game with the Stars, but  produced a farcical outcome to the Strikers v Thunder game (see below).

The latest results were:-
Heat 169/5 lost to Strikers 170/4 by 6 wickets off the last ball of the match.
Stars 151/6 beat Hurricanes 114ao by 37 runs
Renegades 150ao lost to Scorchers 151/6 with 8 balls remaining
Heat v Sixers - No Result (Abandoned without a ball being bowled)
Strikers 45/2 (5 overs) - No Result - Thunder 43/0 (game called off after 2.5 overs)

Points on Interest:-

• Heat had the chance of putting a win on the board v Strikers, but a simple drop at mid-off in the penultimate over allowed Strikers to win off the last ball. It summed up their season tbh.
• If Lizelle Lee and DWH don't make any runs then Canes lose. They stay top, but a loss to the rampant Stars means Stars are hard on their heels at the top.
• The Renegades quite simply got "Devined". Chasing 151 to win she smashed 46 out of 57 off the first 34 balls of the reply. It meant Beth Mooney could guide the skittish Scorchers middle order to the win
• Rain in Adelaide ruined both games there - Heat v Stars never even started, and Strikers v Thunder ended up being a 5 over thrash in the rain! Strikers meandered to 45/2 and Thunder were on the verge of winning on 43/0 thanks to Phoebe Litchfield's brutal 38* (15 balls), when the umpires made the extraordinary decision to end the game. It had been raining steadily throughout the Thunder's innings, but certainly was no heavier  when the umpires randomly decided they needed a cup of tea in the dry!
  

This weekend's games

Renegades v Stars - It is 2v3, but the Stars are on a bit of a roll so might jump to the top of the table
Hurricanes v Scorchers - Within 4 hours Canes are likely to be back on top. Scorchers limited batting resources could well let them down
Strikers v Heat - Remarkably Strikers could keep themselves in the Play-Off hunt if they can repeat their last ball win over the dejected Heat. They should do, but it might be a false dawn for the Strikers.

Sixers v Thunder - Sixers haven't played for over a week, while the Thunder will be smarting from the Adelaide rain fiasco. Both desperately need the win. I reckon Thunder might just pip it.

Martin Davies
28/XI/2025

WBBL11 - Key Games this week

There were just three games over the weekend, but it looks like this week could see some teams taking big strides towards a top four finish, while others don't. 

The latest results were:-
Scorchers 159/4 beat Strikers 158ao by 1 run with 1 ball remaining
Thunder 64ao lost to Renegades 68/2 by 8 wickets with 53 balls remaining
Stars 171/8 beat Heat 153/9 by 18 runs

Points of Interest:-

• Neither Scorchers nor Strikers really wanted to win their game - having posted a moderate 159 Scorchers looked in trouble with the Strikers 77/1 in the 10th over, but a team hat-trick in a maiden16th over reduced Strikers to 121/7, requiring 39 from 24 balls. They needed 25 from the last 2 overs and then 13 from the last, with the last two batters at the crease - but 1424 off the first four balls meant they needed just 2 off the last two balls to win! But Darcie Brown top-edged a leg stump full toss into the air and keeper Mooney came from behind the stumps to take the catch and win the match.
• As suspected Thunder's revival was short-lived - bowled out for 64 by Renegades, who moved up to second in the table
• Heat had Stars 44/6, but let them and Marizanne Kapp (93* off 51 balls) off the hook, as Stars took 47 off the last three overs to post 171/8. Heat never really looked likely to get near the total as batters got in, only to get out.

This week's games :- 
Strikers v Heat - A bottom of the table clash which doesn't have much to recommend it tbh
Stars v Hurricanes - Canes will be keen to put their loss to the Sixers down as a minor aberration, while the Stars bowling seems to be their strong suit. Should be a tight game with the Canes perhaps consolidating top spot.
Renegades v Scorchers - Renegades lose, win, lose, win.....so will they lose this one? They shouldn't do. Scorchers batting is currently looking fragile
Heat v Sixers - Sixers have to win! Heat don't look like ever winning!
Strikers v Thunder - Strikers have lost their last three and look devoid of oomph, but then Thunder have only won two games and were hammered in their last. Might be a case of who is the least bad!

Can the rain please go away!!

Martin Davies
24/XI/2025

WBBL - Halfway through

We have reached the halfway point in WBBL11. Is it me or has it been rather disappointing and very low key? Cricinfo's coverage of the games, via AAP, suggest they don't really care very much about the tournament. Their match reports almost certainly have some AI generated content in them and are frequently inaccurate. 

The latest results were:-
Strikers 134/7 lost to Hurricanes 136/6  by 4 wickets with 2 balls remaining.
Scorchers  150/7 lost to Thunder 154/1 by 9 wickets with 10 balls remaining.
Renegades 155ao lost to Hurricanes 106/4 (13 over target 106) by 6 wickets with 6 balls remaining.
Stars 219/4 beat Sixers 42ao (10 over target 153) by 111 runs.
Thunder 200/6 beat Heat 159ao by 41 runs.
Sixers 147/9 beat Hurricanes 136ao by 11 runs

Points of Interest:-

• Hurricanes have lost their first game, contriving to go from 129/6 to 136 all out in 10 balls to lose by 11 runs to the Sixers. They remain top of the league on 10 points, ahead of the chasing pack, who all seem incapable of actually chasing anything.
• The chasing pack includes Renegades, Sixers, Stars, Thunder, Scorchers, and Strikers, who are all separated by just 3 points (6 down to 3) - they are all the model of inconsistency!
• Brisbane Heat have now lost all 4 of the games they have played
• Thunder won both their games this week, which some suggest is the start of a resurgence. One of those was against the Heat (without Grace Harris or Jemimah Rodrigues). I still wouldn't back them to make the play-offs
• Brisbane Heat keep trying different opening partnerships - the latest one included shipping in Lauren Winfield-Hill. They still lost. Give Annie O'Neil a go!!
• Meg Lanning, not retained in the WPL, now has the most runs in the competition (no she doesn't - DWH has one more after this morning's game!), having helped herself to 135 of them against the Sixers this week
• It continues to rain in Australia and the girls continue to play through it until their clothing gets so heavy they can't carry on!

This weekend's games are:-
Scorchers v Strikers - Neither team look in a very good place and look likely to miss out on the play-offs along with the Heat. Expect this to be a scrappy affair.
Thunder v Renegades - Renegades have a 3/2 record and are likely to burst the Thunder's newly inflated resurgence balloon.
Heat v Stars - After pummelling the Sixers with the bat and the ball it is difficult to see the Stars slipping up against winless Heat.

Martin Davies
22/XI/2025