Get all the broadcast details, full schedule and which players to keep an eye on as Weber WBBL|12 kicks off on Thursday
Ultimate Guide: All you need to know for WBBL|12
The WBBL is back! When does it start?
The 12th edition of the WBBL will begin with a blockbuster double-header on Thursday, October 29 at Melbourne's Junction Oval.
The season begins at 3:40pm AEDT when Melbourne Renegades take on Sydney Thunder. Following this, the Melbourne Stars and reigning champions Hobart Hurricanes meet to begin their WBBL|12 campaigns, with the first ball to be bowled at 7:10pm under Junction Oval's new lights.
The regular season will conclude on November 29 with three playoff matches to follow, culminating with the WBBL|12 Final on December 5.
What else do I need to know about the schedule?
WBBL|12 is a 43-game season across 38 days. Each team will host a home match within the first 10 days of the competition.
A trio of Big Bash clubs will play an extra game in front of their home fans this summer as the league moves towards fewer neutral venues.
The league's two Melbourne clubs, Stars and Renegades, along with Sydney Thunder, have each been awarded an additional game in their home city this season with only four neutral matches in total for the entire tournament – down from seven in WBBL|11.
This has largely been made possible by the new floodlights at Junction Oval that allows the Stars and Renegades to play night matches at home from this season.
Seven teams will play home games across the tournament's first weekend, with the Hurricanes returning to Ninja Stadium for the first time since they won their maiden WBBL title there last year on Wednesday, November 4 when they host the Renegades.
More matches will be played in prime time, up from 22 to 25, while all four Melbourne and Sydney derbies will take centre stage on days that are free of international cricket.
Biggest WBBL|12 blockbusters
October 29: Junction Oval doubleheader under lights: Renegades v Thunder, Stars v Hurricanes
October 31: Spooky Saturday: New marquee matches on Halloween (Strikers v Stars at Karen Rolton Oval, followed by Scorchers v Renegades at WACA Ground)
November 4: Reigning champs back at home at Ninja Stadium: Hurricanes v Renegades
November 8: Sydney Smash at North Sydney Oval
November 20: Strikers on the big stage at Adelaide Oval to play the Renegades
November 22 + 28: Melbourne Derbies at Junction Oval
November 27: Scorchers v Hurricanes final rematch at the WACA Ground
How can I watch?
The best place is live at a stadium near you! You can purchase tickets to all matches here.
All 43 WBBL|12 matches will be aired on Kayo Sports and Foxtel, including 20 matches exclusive to Fox Cricket, while 20 regular season matches and every final will be shown live and free on Channel Seven and 7plus.
For fans based in Europe, catch every ball of the WBBL season on CricketTV.
What about radio?
ABC Grandstand are calling every match of WBBL|12, with SEN to broadcast the finals.
What about live scores, news and highlights?
The Big Bash App is the best place to go for live scores, highlights and news during WBBL|12. The app can be personalised so that you don't miss a moment or highlight from your favourite team and players this season.
You can follow the WBBL on social media, and the Big Bash on YouTube to see behind the scenes content and all the best bits from across the season.
Is there a podcast?
In exciting news, The Scoop Cricket Podcast has returned to eardrums around the country for another season.
Esteemed broadcaster Rana Hussain and star spinner Molly Strano are co-hosting the revamped show, which will run throughout the 2026-27 summer covering both WBBL and international cricket.
Remember to hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. The show is also on the cricket.com.au YouTube channel.
Who should I look out for?
West Indies superstar and the world's top-ranked T20 allrounder Hayley Matthews is back! She has re-signed with the Renegades after missing last season due to shoulder surgery, and will be joined in red by Windies teammate Deandra Dottin and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
Star England spinner Sophie Ecclestone is back with the Strikers, who have also signed her international teammate Maia Bouchier, while Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt will play her seventh season with Adelaide.
The Thunder had a signing coup when they secured key England quick Lauren Bell, who joins Heather Knight and Proteas allrounder Nadine de Klerk.
The Heat had opted to sign just two overseas players, leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and Ireland allrounder Orla Prendergast, but following Jess Jonassen's season-ending injury, they've added Yastika Bhatia to the mix.
It's an all-England line-up at the Stars who have Amy Jones, Charlie Dean and Dani Gibson on the books for this season.
The Hurricanes won't have Natalie Sciver-Brunt or Danni Wyatt-Hodge (who was a late withdrawal with a calf injury) at their disposal this season, instead recruiting Windies allrounder Chinelle Henry from the Heat alongside spinner Linsey Smith and Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu.
The Scorchers meanwhile have stuck with stars Sophie Devine and Freya Kemp, and in an exciting addition, have signed Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.
What about the Aussies?
As of now, all the squad members of Australia's recent T20 World Cup triumph will feature in WBBL|12.
Aussie skipper Sophie Molineux will join Georgia Wareham at the Melbourne Renegades, while Nicola Carey will be in action for the reigning champs Hobart Hurricanes. Sixers icons Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner are all set to play another Big Bash season, while Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll will come up against them in the Sydney Smash fixtures.
Alana King and Beth Mooney return for Perth Scorchers, Grace Harris and Lucy Hamilton will once again feature for the Brisbane Heat. Annabel Sutherland remains at the Stars but has handed over the captaincy to former national captain Meg Lanning, while Tahlia McGrath and Megan Schutt will be key for the Strikers.
What's this I hear about tipping?
BKT Big Bash tipping is back with weekly prizes up for grab alongside some epic major prizes.
The winner of BKT Big Bash Tipping at the end of the regular season will walk away with $10,000 cash! Second- and third-placed tippers will also take home $1000 and $500 cash respectively. Meanwhile, each week, the highest scorer will win an Official Cricket Australia Shop online voucher (valued at $200) and a KFC voucher (valued at $100).
BKT Big Bash Tipping is back! Be in the running for some epic prizes, or go for bragging rights with family and friends. Register now
Finally, how is my team looking?
You can see the ins and outs for all eight clubs for WBBL|12 right here:
We've also got you covered with team-by-team previews.
Check those out here, and keep an eye out for the Scorchers preview dropping later this week:
Strikers | Heat | Hurricanes | Renegades | Stars | Sixers | Thunder