When does it start? 

On Tuesday! The Women’s National Cricket League – Australia’s national women’s domestic 50-over competition – will get underway on Tuesday, September 24 when Western Australia host three-time reigning champions Tasmania at the WACA Ground. 

Two rounds will be played before the start of the T20 Spring Challenge and Weber WBBL|10, with the season to resume in mid-December. 

Like last season, this summer’s WNCL will feature 43 matches with all seven teams to play each other twice before the top two teams meet in the final on March 2. 

View the full WNCL fixture here. 

How can I watch it? 

Every match of the 2023-24 season will be live streamed free for fans in Australia on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, with replays of every wicket in the match centre soon after they happen and extended highlights of every match also available. 

All games will also be streamed on Kayo Sports, and replays will be available for those who can’t watch live. 

Are the Australian contracted players available? 

This summer, the majority of Australia’s top players are expected miss most, if not the entire WNCL season. 

The first two rounds of the season coincide with Australia’s T20I series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup, while the rounds across December and January will be played alongside the ODI series against India and New Zealand, and the multi-format Ashes. More players could be available for the final two rounds of the season in February, although the Women’s Premier League in India is also expected to be held at the same time. 

How else can I follow the WNCL? 

As well as tuning into the live steams, all matches will be scored live on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app so you can keep up-to-date with every ball, while we’ll also provide added written coverage and video highlights throughout the tournament. 

What about going to a game? 

A chance to watch some of the most exciting players in the world in action? Go for it! 

Every team will host six matches; all of Victoria’s home matches will be played at Junction Oval, ACT Meteors’ at EPC Solar Park, Tasmania’s at Bellerive Oval and Western Australia’s at the WACA Ground. 

South Australia will host their matches at Karen Rolton Oval, Queensland will play all of their home games at Allan Border Field, while New South will play two games at North Sydney Oval and the remaining four at Cricket Central in Sydney Olympic Park. 

For entry conditions and ticket prices check with each state or territory. 

What’s at stake? 

The winning state will be presented with the Ruth Preddey Cup. Tasmania are the reigning champions after claiming their third consecutive title last season, defeating Queensland at Bellerive Oval.  

NSW Breakers have claimed ‘Ruth’ more than any other team, on a whopping 20 occasions since the league was formed in 1996-97, but have missed the final in each of the last four seasons after 25 consecutive appearances in the decider. 

The coveted trophy was introduced for the 1972-73 season of the Australian Women’s Cricket Championships – a two-week tournament that predated the WNCL – and is named after one of the game’s pioneers; Preddey was a former NSW player, administrator, Australian team manager and sports editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly. 

How are the squads looking? 

* Denotes Cricket Australia contract   

ACT Meteors 

The Meteors have welcomed four new players from last season. One of those is a familiar face, with Canberra born-and-bred allrounder Zoe Cooke returning home after spending last summer with Queensland. 

Also joining the Meteors squad is former Zimbabwe leg-spinner Anesu Mushangwe, who has moved from South Australia, while top-order batter and allrounder Shivani Mehta has made the move down from Sydney, and leg-spinner Chelsea Moscript was awarded a full contract after making her WNCL debut last season and playing four games. 

Squad: Alisha Bates, Paris Bowdler, Zoe Cooke, Grace Dignam, Holly Ferling, Angie Genford, Amy Hunter, Carly Leeson, Grace Lyons, Katie Mack (c), Shivani Mehta, Chelsea Moscript, Anesu Mushangwe, Olivia Porter, Gabrielle Sutcliffe, Annie Wikman 

Ins: Zoe Cooke (Queensland), Anesu Mushangwe (South Australia), Shivani Mehta, Chelsea Moscript (upgrade)  

Outs: Kayla Burton, Rebecca Carter, Chloe Rafferty, Jannatul Sumona (all delisted) 

New South Wales 

New South Wales have invested in youth, with Sienna Eve, Elsa Hunter and Lauren Kua, all 19, and 18-year-old Kate Pelle joining the squad that finished fifth last season. Pelle made her Breakers and Sydney Sixers debuts last summer, playing all 14 Weber WBBL|09 matches after first-choice wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy injured her hand. 

Left-arm finger spinner Eve also represented Australia at under-19 level alongside Pelle in a tri-series in Sri Lanka earlier this year, while top-order batter Hunter played internationally for Malaysia since making her debut as a 13-year-old in 2019. Kua, also born in Malaysia, was the leading run-scorer in NSW Premier Cricket’s top grade last season. 

Squad: Jade Allen, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Sarah Coyte, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Ashleigh Gardner*, Alyssa Healy*, Ebony Hoskin, Elsa Hunter, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Lauren Kua, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield*, Claire Moore, Kate Pelle, Tahlia Wilson 

Ins: Sienna Eve, Elsa Hunter, Lauren Kua, Kate Pelle 

Outs: Georgia Adams, Saskia Horley, Isa Malgioglio  

Queensland 

England batter Lauren Winfield-Hill headlines a quartet of fresh faces on the Queensland Fire contract list for 2024-25. Mikayla Wrigley, 20, earns her inaugural Fire contract after a string of consistent performances across a range of competitions and teams over the past two seasons. 

Lucinda Bourke, 18, and Lily Bassingthwaighte, 17, both represented Queensland Under-19s last season. Mark Sorell has taken the coaching reins after the departure of Ashley Noffke, who has taken on a new head coaching role in New Zealand. 

Squad: Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Lucinda Burke, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris*, Laura Harris, Kira Holmes, Jess Jonassen*, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley 

Ins: Lily Bassingthwaighte, Lucinda Bourke, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley 

Outs: Zoe Cooke (ACT), Mikayla Hinkley (Western Australia), Ruth Johnston (Tasmania), Ellie Johnston  

South Australia 

Local fast bowler Emmerson Filsell has earned her first state contract after impressing in both SACA Premier Cricket and at underage National Championships, while South Australia will have an international recruit for the upcoming season, with English allrounder Hollie Armitage signing as an overseas player. 

Mick Delaney has replaced former coach Luke Williams. 

Squad: Hollie Armitage, Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown*, Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Emmerson Filsell, Paris Hall, Eleanor Larosa, Tahlia McGrath*, Courtney Neale, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt*, Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson 

Ins: Hollie Armitage, Emmerson Filsell 

Outs: Anesu Mushangwe (ACT), Sam Betts 

Tasmania 

The reigning three-time champions have kept a settled squad as they set their sights on a fourth consecutive title. Coming into the fold is former Queensland player Ruth Johnston, who will be familiar to Tasmania fans having featured for the Hobart Hurricanes for the past three WBBL seasons. 

Departing the Tigers is former captain Sasha Moloney, who has signed with Victoria after a 13-year Tasmanian career. 

Squad: Nicola Carey, Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham*, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Emma Manix-Geeves, Tabatha Saville, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson. 

Ins: Ruth Johnston (Queensland) 

Outs: Sasha Moloney (Victoria), Clare Scott 

Victoria 

Headlined by six Australian contracted players, the majority of last year’s squad has been retained, with the experienced Sasha Moloney and rising star Hasrat Gill the two new additions.  

Allrounder Moloney has made the move from Tasmania after representing the Melbourne Stars in the past two seasons in the WBBL. Gill has earned her first state contract after an outstanding 2023-24 campaign for the Melbourne Cricket Club, which led to the rising star being included in the Australian Under-19’s tri-series tour against Sri Lanka in April. 

Squad: Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Poppy Gardner, Kim Garth*, Hasrat Gill, Ella Hayward, Olivia Henry, Milly Illingworth, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Sophie Molineux*, Sasha Moloney, Jasmine Nevins, Ellyse Perry*, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland*, Tayla Vlaeminck*, Georgia Wareham* 

Ins: Hasrat Gill, Sasha Moloney (Tasmania)  

Outs: Rhiann O’Donnell, Samantha Bates 

Western Australia 

Western Australia have added a trio of new faces to their squad as they look to build on their fourth-placed finish last summer. Mikayla Hinkley joins from Queensland, where the talented 25-year-old middle-order batter played 45 WNCL matches over five seasons. 

WA allrounder Bhavi Devchand returns to the state program for the first time since 2018-19, following a career-best season for Wanneroo in Premier Cricket. Teenage leg-spinner Shay Manolini has earned a state contract for the first time after making her WNCL debut against Victoria last summer. 

Squad: Chloe Ainsworth, Charis Bekker, Zoe Britcliffe, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Maddy Darke, Bhavi Devchand, Amy Edgar, Lisa Griffith, Mikayla Hinkley, Alana King*, Shay Manolini, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney*, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo 

Ins: Bhavi Devchand, Mikayla Hinkley (Queensland), Shay Manolini 

Outs: Ashley Day, Georgia Wyllie, and Poppy Stockwell (all delisted)