Schedule Unveiled for the 2025 T20 Spring Challenge, Starting October 21

On Monday, July 14, Cricket Australia announced the domestic schedule for the 2025–26 women’s cricket season. Alongside the fixture release of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), 50-over competition, the board also unveiled the schedule for the T20 Spring Challenge.

Aspiring Big Bash players will once again have the opportunity to push for selection in the remaining Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) squad spots when the T20 Spring Challenge gets underway on October 21.

The nine-team T20 competition, introduced last season to maintain the volume of women’s domestic matches after the WBBL was shortened, features teams aligned with the eight Big Bash clubs as well as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Meteors.

The T20 Spring Challenge will be played entirely in Sydney, kicking off with four matches on the opening day. The Sydney Sixers will face the Hobart Hurricanes at North Sydney Oval, followed by the Sydney Thunder taking on the ACT Meteors at the same venue. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Renegades will play the Brisbane Heat at Cricket Central, with the Adelaide Strikers meeting the Melbourne Stars later that day.

Each of the nine teams will play four matches, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals and final. All 18 regular-season games will be completed over seven days, leading into the semi-finals on Wednesday, October 29, and the final on Thursday, October 30. All finals matches will be held at Cricket NSW’s Cricket Central. Additional venues for the tournament include Drummoyne Oval and Blacktown International Sports Park.

T20 Spring Challenge 2025-26 Schedule:

The inaugural season of the T20 Spring Challenge was won by the Hobart Hurricanes, who defeated the Brisbane Heat by five wickets in the final. Former South Africa batter, now an Australian resident, Hurricanes’ Lizelle Lee was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 252 runs, playing a key role in the Hurricanes’ championship campaign.

Brisbane Heat pace bowler Nicola Hancock finished at the top of the bowling charts, claiming 10 wickets in five innings and making a significant impact during the Heat’s table-topping season.

With no overseas players participating in the T20 Spring Challenge, the tournament presents valuable opportunities for emerging talent and fringe WBBL squad members to step up ahead of WBBL 11, which begins on November 9.

Last season, players like Ines McKeon and Charis Bekker made a strong impression representing the Scorchers in the Spring Challenge, earning WBBL contracts with the Stars and Renegades, respectively, for WBBL 11.

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