5 Players to Watch Out for in WBBL 2025/26
The 2025-26 Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) will kick off on November 9 with a triple-header and conclude with the final on December 13, just a day before the men’s BBL begins. The schedule was adjusted due to the ODI World Cup earlier in the year.
Melbourne Renegades, the defending champions, will begin their title defence under pressure after a major setback. Star West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews, who was both Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament last season, has been ruled out following shoulder surgery.
Here are five players to watch in WBBL 2025/26:
1. Laura Wolvaardt (Adelaide Strikers)
South African opener Laura Wolvaardt enters the WBBL on the back of a sensational 2025 Women’s World Cup, where she scored a brilliant century in both the semi-final and final. She has now topped the run charts in three consecutive ICC World Cups (ODIs and T20Is).
Wolvaardt, who produced back-to-back 400-run seasons during Strikers’ title-winning campaigns, managed only 193 runs in 9 innings last year. This season, she’ll look to bounce back after a stellar international run and another heartbreak in a global final.
2. Tess Flintoff (Melbourne Renegades)
Tess Flintoff has made a move across town from Melbourne Stars to Renegades, hoping for a breakout year. The 21-year-old, who earned a Cricket Australia central contract earlier this year, is highly rated by selectors.
Flintoff took just 3 wickets in 9 games last season and averaged 9.83 with the bat. The selectors have backed her saying there’s something different about her but the numbers say otherwise. This campaign could define her place in Australia’s next generation of all-rounders.
3. Sianna Ginger (Brisbane Heat)
At just 20 years old, Sianna Ginger is emerging as one of Australia’s brightest young talents. With seven WBBL matches so far, she impressed for Australia A, finishing as joint-highest wicket-taker in the T20 series against India A and scoring a century in the four-day match.
Earlier this year, Ginger earned another call-up for Australia A’s tour of England, and she now looks set to play a key role in Heat’s campaign.
4. Davina Perrin (Melbourne Renegades)
England’s Davina Perrin is just 19 and already making waves. She smashed a stunning 101 off 43 balls for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred Eliminator final, cementing her reputation as one of the most exciting batters in English cricket.
Perrin joins the Renegades as a late signing and will be expected to help fill the void left by Hayley Matthews who has been ruled out after a shoulder surgery. England coach Charlotte Edwards has already hinted at Perrin’s potential for a senior national call-up soon.
5. Laura Harris (Sydney Thunder)
The hard-hitting Laura Harris will represent Sydney Thunder this season after moving from Brisbane Heat during the WBBL’s first-ever trade window. Known as one of the hardest strikers in women’s cricket, Harris is a true power surge specialist.
Her career T20 strike rate of 173.92 is the highest in the world among batters with at least 1000 runs. In the WBBL, she has maintained a strike rate of 159.17, scoring 1275 runs across 100 innings.
Final Squads for WBBL 2025/26:
Adelaide Strikers: Jemma Barsby, Tammy Beaumont, Darcie Brown, Sophie Ecclestone, Anesu Mushangwe, Tahlia McGrath, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Wolvaardt
Brisbane Heat: Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Lucy Bourke, Nadine de Klerk, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mikayla Wrigley
Hobart Hurricanes: Kathryn Bryce, Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Isa Malgioglio, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Linsey Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Melbourne Renegades: Charis Bekker, Alice Capsey, Sarah Coyte, Emma de Broughe, Deandra Dottin, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Sophie Molineux, Davina Perrin, Naomi Stalenberg, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Issy Wong
Melbourne Stars: Sophie Day, Kim Garth, Dani Gibson, Maisy Gibson, Ella Hayward, Amy Jones, Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Ines McKeon, Sasha Moloney, Indigo Noble, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland
Perth Scorchers: Chloe Ainsworth, Maddy Darke, Sophie Devine, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Hinkley, Ebony Hoskin, Freya Kemp, Alana King, Katie Mack, Shay Manolini, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Chloe Piparo, Paige Scholfield, Ruby Strange
Sydney Sixers: Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Sophia Dunkley, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr, Lauren Kua, Emma Manix-Geeves, Ellyse Perry, Courtney Sippel, Mady Villiers
Sydney Thunder: Chamari Athapaththu, Sam Bates, Ella Briscoe, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Lucy Finn, Hasrat Gill, Laura Harris, Shabnim Ismail, Heather Knight, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson
*Final signings to be confirmed