WBBL 2021: A look at teams’ composition, matches, venues and players to watch out for
The Women’s Big Bash League 2021 will start from October 14 and with as many as eight Indian Women being part of either one franchise or another. The tournament will kick off with a clash between two times champions and four-time finalists Sydney Sixers Women and last season’s finalists Melbourne Stars at the Blundstone Arena (Bellerive Oval) in Hobart, Tasmania. Due to the Covid-19 situation prevailing in Australia, the first 20 games of the season will take place in Tasmania itself with Launceston and Hobart being the two host cities. The teams are all set to have a go in the seventh season of one of the most popular women’s cricket leagues in the world. However, with no major English players available for this year’s WBBL, a lot of Indian and South African players have got a chance to play in it. Adelaide Strikers Women Darcie Brown, Katie Mack, Madeline Penna, Bridget Patterson, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt, Tegan McPharlin, Sarah Coyte, Tahlia McGrath, Jemma Barsby, Dane van Niekerk, Nell Bryson-Smith, Annie O'Neil, Megan Schutt, Meagan Dixon Players to watch out Tahlia McGrath The all-rounder is at the peak of her form as was seen in the recently concluded series between Australia Women and India Women. With 235 runs and four wickets in seven matches across all formats, she was chosen as the Player of the series. Dane van Niekerk South Africa Women captain might not be in the best of the forms, but with 14 wickets and 157 runs in her last 10 appearances in international cricket and the hundred, she has definitely shown that she is the woman to reply upon in crisis situations. Brisbane Heat Women Jess Jonassen, Grace Harris, Laura Kimmince, Mikayla Hinkley, Charli Knott, Georgia Prestwidge, Georgia Redmayne, Georgia Voll, Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Courtney Sipple, Ellie Johnston, Nicola Hancock, Zoe Cooke, Poonam Yadav Players to watch out Jess Jonassen An experienced player in the women’s arena, Jonassen has been away from the international circuit ever since playing the last game against New Zealand way back in April 2021. But with an experience of 85 T20Is and 74 ODIs, this fast bowling all-rounder could be the key to success for two times champions. Poonam Yadav A leg spinner who likes bowling in Australia, Poonam Yadav would bank on her experience of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. Her slow loopy balls, moving mostly way from the batters will definitely give some trouble to those who are new to her. Hobart Hurricanes Women Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Rachel Priest, Chloe Rafferty, Naomi Stalenberg, Amy Smith, Molly Strano, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck, Mignon du Preez, Rachel Trenaman, Sasha Moloney, Ruth Johnston, Angelina Genford, Richa Ghosh Players to watch out Nicola Carey A productive all-rounder, Nicola Carey is a left-handed batter and a right-arm medium-pacer who is capable of changing the game with both bat and bowl. She showed the same in the recently concluded series against India Women, where partnering with Beth Monney, she led her country to a controversial, but famous 26th win in a row. Richa Ghosh The 18-year-old Indian wicketkeeper is a hard hitter as good as any and was picked into the squad which has graceful batters like Rachel Priest, who is also a wicketkeeper, just for big-hitting abilities late in the batting order. Most necessarily, Ghosh wouldn’t be keeping wickets and thus her great fielding abilities could also be utilised. Melbourne Renegades Women Makinley Blows, Josie Dooley, Jess Duffin, Ellen Falconer, Holly Ferling, Ella Hayward, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Rhiann O'Donnell, Poppy Gardner, Carly Leeson, Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues Players to watch out Jemimah Rodrigues Getting back into form from a franchise tournament The Hundred Women, the Indian pocket rocket would like to get that form into this league as well and try and help her team get going. Harmanpreet Kaur Not in the greatest of forms, but India Women T20I skipper Harmanpreet would look to get back to form with this tournament as she is one of the most important players going into the 2022 World Cup next year. Her ability to bowl tight overs along with her abilities to manoeuvre the field in the middle overs would be highly beneficial. Melbourne Stars Women Meg Lanning, Annabel Sutherland, Kim Garth, Elyse Villani, Nic Faltum, Erin Osborne, Tess Flintoff, Anna Lanning, Georgia Gall, Rhys McKenna, Maia Bouchier, Linsey Smith, Maddy Darke, Lucy Cripps Players to watch out Meg Lanning The Australian skipper might not be in a good nick of late, but she is one pure match-winner with the bat. With an experience of 113 T20Is, in which she averages more than 35 and strikes at 115, she would be the guiding anchor for the last season’s finalists. Maia Bouchier Young and upcoming woman cricketer from Middlesex, Biuchier must have impressed people in the Hundred playing for Southern Brave Women to get picked in the WBBL. Bouchier has featured in only two international T20Is, but with her all-r0und abilities of medium pace bowling and middle to middle-order batting, she is a valuable asset to have. Perth Scorchers Women Chamari Athapaththu, Samantha Betts, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Sophie Devine, Heather Graham, Marizanne Kapp, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Chloe Piparo, Taneale Peschel, Ash Day, Amy Edgar, Lisa Griffith, Lilly Mills Players to watch out Sophie Devine A legend of the WBBL, the Kiwi woman has been Player of the Season for the last two seasons. With 2634 runs and 66 wickets in 78 matches of the WBBL so far, Devine has been the biggest asset for any team that she has played. Moving from Adelaide to Perth last season, she scored 450 runs at an average of more than 50 and also picked six wickets. Beth Mooney Mooney has been in phenomenal touch off late and would look to count on it. The left-handed batter recently scored 287 runs in the seven-match, three format series against India Women. It even included a century and thus, she is in the red hot form to deliver. Sydney Sixers Women Ellyse Perry, Jade Allen, Nicole Bolton, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Emma Hughes, Angela Reakes, Hayler Silver-Holmes, Matilda Lugg, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma Players to watch out Ellyse Perry The best all-rounder in the women’s game alive, Perry just became the first woman in history to complete the double of 3000 international runs and 300 wickets, which is huge. Not in the best forms, especially in T20 cricket, but Perry can never be ruled out with her abilities to perform extremely good with both bat and ball. Shafali Verma The young and dynamic Indian batter is relishing her time at the wicket and having come to reckoning from her stay in Australia in 2020, she would be raring to go once again and having had the experience of The Hundred with her, would look to go bonkers in this series. Sydney Thunder Women Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Corinne Hall, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Olivia Porter, Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Issy Wong, Jessica Davidson Players to watch out Smriti Mandhana The most beautiful stroke maker in the game right now, this Indian left-hander is going through a purple patch, making runs in all formats. In the recent series against Australia Women, the 25-year-old scored 352 runs in eight innings with an average of 44. Deepti Sharma In absence of Rachael Haynes, the most experienced and trustworthy Thunder, the responsibility will lie on the likes of Mandhana and Deepti Sharma to lead the rest of the young guns. Thus the experience of Deepti, who has played 113 international games and has been in the setup for the last seven years would make it helpful for the defending champions.