Updated WBBL06 fixtures announced; Sydney Olympic Park to become 'WBBL Village'

Cricket Australia on Friday (September 25) announced an updated 59-match fixture list for the sixth season of the Women's Big Bash League to be held in Sydney. The competition will kick off on October 25 with all eight teams in action on the opening day. The final round of group games will take place on November 22, with a new three-match 'final series' to be held between November 25 and 29 - venues of which will be confirmed soon.



Matches will be played across five venues with North Sydney Oval and Hurstville Oval set to host the opening fixtures of the competition. Sydney Showground, Drummoyne Oval and Blacktown International Sportspark are the other three grounds that will be used through the tournament.



With all teams to be based in Sydney, the board announced the creation of a 'WBBL Village' in Sydney Olympic Park that will house all eight teams and their staff. "The Village, created with the support of rebel, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Accor Hotels and Cricket NSW will see the League given exclusive use of multiple hotels, high performance facilities, dining venues and more," a release from CA stated.



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It is understood that all participants will be confined the the Village through the course of the competition to ensure their health and safety. No announcements have yet been made regarding quarantine arrangements for the overseas players taking part.



As many as 26 of 59 matches will be televised on Fox Cricket and Seven Network, with the remaining fixtures to be live-streamed.



CA reiterated that they are continuing to coordinate with the New South Wales government to ensure that the competition is held in line with government guidelines and COVID safety protocols. They ensured that the health and safety of all participants will be top priority.



"Today’s announcement of the changes to the rebel WBBL|06 fixture and the transformation of Sydney Olympic Park into the rebel WBBL Village sets the League up for another unforgettable season,” Alistair Dobson, CA head of Big Bash Leagues, said. “Last season was the biggest in the history of the women’s game and now, following on from the Commonwealth Bank ODI and T20I series in Brisbane, we’ll get to see the stars of our world champion Australian team in action during rebel WBBL|06."