Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground, two of the best cricket grounds to host 2023 Women’s Big Bash League matches
The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) new 2023 season will host standalone matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the first time this year. This is a significant move to boost the status of the women’s competition and attract more fans.
Previously, WBBL matches were only held at the MCG and SCG as part of double-header fixtures with men’s teams or for finals. However, the new standalone matches will give women’s cricket the same level of exposure as the men’s game.
Alistair Dobson, the general manager of the BBL, said the move was the “natural progression” for the league. He said it would “allow the best players in the world to play in the best cricket venues in the world.”
The SCG and MCG fixtures will be the first standalone women’s matches at the stadiums, outside of the T20 World Cup, since 2017.
The changes to the WBBL schedule are part of Cricket Australia’s broader strategy to increase the professionalism of the competition. This includes increasing the number of home games for each team, increasing the number of night matches, and cutting down on the number of neutral venue matches.
Players in the ninth edition of the WBBL will also be paid more. Team salary caps have doubled, and top players could potentially earn more than $100,000. The league will also feature its first overseas player draft.
The 2023-24 WBBL season will open with the Sydney Sixers facing the Melbourne Stars on 19 October at North Sydney Oval. The final will be played on 2 December.
This is an exciting time for women’s cricket in Australia. The WBBL is growing in popularity, and these changes will help to take the competition to the next level.
