WBBL|12 starts October 29 with overseas draft scrapped
WBBL|12 opens on October 29 without an overseas draft. Adelaide Strikers added Maia Bouchier and Emma de Broughe, while Melbourne Heat signed Sarah Glenn and Orla Prendergast.
WBBL|12 begins on October 29, 2026, when Melbourne Renegades face Sydney Thunder at Junction Oval. Forty league games follow, and the final sits on December 5.
The overseas draft is gone. Clubs now shop in an open market and no longer need a minimum number of overseas players. Adelaide Strikers pulled Maia Bouchier from Melbourne Stars and Emma de Broughe from Melbourne Renegades. Sophie Ecclestone is back for a second season; Tammy Beaumont isn't. Melbourne Heat, who went winless through nine completed matches last season, also lost Chinelle Henry to Hobart Hurricanes and Jemimah Rodrigues to India.
Heat responded by signing Sarah Glenn and Orla Prendergast.
CricHubb Take
The clubs that can move fastest in the open market are the ones already stacked with cash and marketing pull. Two seasons from now, the same four or five teams could be hoovering up the best overseas talent while the rest scramble for scraps.