All You Need To Know About The T20 Spring Challenge: Australia Women's Cricket's Newest Addition to Domestic Calendar

A new women’s cricket competition—The T20 Spring Challenge—has been added to Australia’s domestic calendar and the tournament started this week. The domestic 20-over tournament was introduced for the first time this year.

The inaugural match of the maiden 2024-2025 season was played between Sydney Thunder Women and Brisbane Heat Women on Friday, October 11. The shortening of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season from 14 to 10 games per side is understood to have resulted in the formation of the T20 Spring Challenge. The final of the event is scheduled to be played on October 20 at Cricket Central in Sydney.

As the T20 Spring Challenge is underway, we take a look at all the key details about the brand new tournament.

Teams

The inaugural edition of the T20 Spring Challenge comprises teams from all eight WBBL franchises, along with an Australian Capital Territory (ACT) side, featuring under the name ACT Meteors.

Full Squads

Adelaide Strikers: Jemma Barsby, Maggie Clark, Emmerson Filsell, Paris Hall, Ellie Johnston, Eleanor Larosa, Katie Mack, Anesu Mushangwe, Courtney Neale, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Brisbane Heat: Georgia Redmayne (c), Charli Knott (vc), Lily Bassingthwaighte, Lucinda Bourke, Sianna Ginger, Lilli Hamilton, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Laura Harris, Kira Holmes, Ruby Strange, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley

Hobart Hurricanes: Elyse Villani (c), Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Emma Manix-Geeves, Tabatha Saville, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Callie Wilson, Lizelle Lee

Melbourne Stars: Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Maisy Gibson, Hasrat Gill, Olivia Henry, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Sasha Moloney, Indigo Noble, Mia Perrin, Sophie Reid, Zoe Samuel, Holly Spencer

Melbourne Renegades: Sarah Coyte (c), Emma de Brough, Tia Davidge, Samara Dulvin, Nicole Faltum, Poppy Gardner, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Bronte Leishman, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Courtney Webb

Perth Scorchers: Chloe Piparo (c), Chloe Bartholomew, Charis Bekker, Zoe Britcliffe, Stella Campbell, Maddy Darke, Bhavi Devchand, Mikayla Hinkley, Shay Manolini, Rebecca McGrath, Ines McKeon, Lilly Mills, Morgan Pires

Sydney Sixers: Mathilda Carmichael (c), Caoimhe Bray, Maitlin Brown, Erin Burns, Lauren Cheatle, Lucy Finn, Elsa Hunter, Lauren Kua, Isabella Malgioglio, Frankie Nicklin, Kate Pelle, Kate Peterson, Eva Ragg, Courtney Sippel

Sydney Thunder: Tahlia Wilson (c), Georgia Adams, Jade Allen, Samantha Bates, Ella Briscoe, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Ebony Hoskin, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Claire Moore, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll

Format

Each team is scheduled to play four fixtures. Following the completion of the 18-game league stage, the top four sides will participate in the semi-finals and after that, the final game will be held.

Schedule

The T20 Spring Challenge kickstarted with a game between Sydney Thunder Women and Brisbane Heat Women on Friday, October 11. The two semi-finals will take place on October 19. The final of the competition will be played on Sunday, October 20.

Venues

The regular season matches are set to be played at venues in Adelaide and Sydney. The summit clash will be held at the Cricket Central in Sydney.

Live Streaming Details:

Fans can enjoy the live streaming of the T20 Spring Challenge matches on Kayo, cricket.com.au, and the CA Live app.