Eye on Aussie stars’ availability as WNCL returns

The Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) season will resume this Sunday with six games to be played over the next week.

The first leg of the domestic 50-over competition was played during the September-October window before pausing for the T20 Spring Challenge and WBBL|11.

Lizelle Lee, the player of the final in the Hobart Hurricanes’ maiden WBBL title win last month, had also produced the showstopping performance of the initial rounds of the WNCL with her blistering 187 off 141 against Victoria falling just three runs short of breaking Meg Lanning’s record for the highest score in the competition’s history.

Before the tournament went into the break, South Australia and the ACT Meteors played two games apiece, while the other five sides completed four each.

Queensland Fire, finalists in the last two seasons, are sitting on top of the table with four wins and 18 points. Defending champions New South Wales Brakers are also yet to drop a game and trail Queensland by only one batting bonus point.

The Breakers’ top order has churned out runs with new recruit Katie Mack delivering on the promise and the pair of Tahlia Wilson and Anika Leoryd carrying on from a successful last season with a century apiece.

Victoria and Western Australia, on the other hand, are still looking for their first wins in the season after four games.

If the teams were missing the Australian internationals on their list due to the ICC Women’s World Cup in the first part of the tournament, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India will keep many of the big names away in the coming rounds.

Unlike previous years though, some of the Australian regulars will be available to be picked by their state sides, with a few opting not to put their name in for the WPL auction, while others, like Alyssa Healy, were not selected.

The Australian captain is currently doing commentary for the men’s Ashes series and has not indicated whether she will turn out in the WNCL. But her NSW side doesn’t return to the field until January 20, leaving her ample time to join up with the group after the end of the final Ashes Test next week.

Healy’s deputy Tahlia McGrath has however confirmed she will play six games for South Australia before returning to international duties for the multi-format series against India starting February 15.

Here’s a look at how the sides in action in the upcoming double-headers are placed:

Tasmanian Tigers v Queensland Fire – Bellerive Oval – January 4 and 6

Tasmanian Tigers: The WNCL break has been a successful one for Tasmanian cricket, with the Hurricanes taking out both the T20 Spring Challenge and WBBL titles. While the state and Hurricanes sides have looked near identical over the last few years, and the Tigers have been able to retain most of their line-up throughout the season, a number of changes have crept in this time around.

The Tigers lost Heather Graham and Molly Strano, with both returning to their native states – WA and Victoria respectively – ahead of the season while continuing to play for the Hurricanes, and will now be without Lizelle Lee and Nicola Carey, as both senior players head off to India for their maiden WPL appearance. They will also miss Scotland international, Kathryn Bryce, who will be taking part in the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Nepal.

Tasmania squad v Queensland: Elyse Villani (c), Ava Curtis, Maisy Gibson, Ruth Johnston, Sara Kennedy, Emma Manix-Geeves, Tabatha Saville, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Courtney Sippel, Lauren Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Rachel Trenaman, Callie Wilson

Queensland Fire: Queensland’s solid start could prove to be crucial in the long-run as the side has been dealt some major blows on the tournament’s resumption. Regular skipper Jess Jonassen continues to be sidelined with a shoulder injury that cut short her WBBL|11 campaign and could only be a chance to return for the Fire towards the end of the season.

Allrounder Charli Knott, who captained the Brisbane Heat in Jonassen’s absence and has been a top-performer for Fire over the last few seasons, has earned a late call-up to the WPL and will miss the next six games alongside rising star left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton, who was picked by the Delhi Capitals in the auction.  

Georgia Redmayne will take over the captaincy duties as Queensland get ready to field up to three debutants against Tasmania.

Queensland squad v Tasmania: Georgia Redmayne (c/wk), Nicola Hancock (vc), Bonnie Berry, Lucy Bourke, Grace Collins, Sianna Ginger, Laura Harris, Annie O’Neil, Grace Parsons, Ruby Strange, Catherine White, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley 

ACT Meteors v Victoria – EPC Solar Park, Canberra – January 6 and 8

ACT Meteors: The Meteors are unaffected by the departures to the WPL and have in fact received a boost to their line-up in the form of experienced English allrounder Georgia Elwiss, who returns to the side having previously represented them in the 2010-11 season.

While yet to win a game themselves this season, the Meteors will feel they are a good chance to top a winless Victorian side, having upset them twice last year.

ACT squad v Victoria: Carly Leeson (c), Georgia Elwiss, Grace Lyons (vc), Gabby Sutcliffe, Grace Dignam, Olivia Porter, Paris Bowdler, Angie Genford, Zoe Cooke, Amy Hunter, Annie Wikman, Shivani Mehta, Anesu Mushangwe

Victoria: The side will be desperate to get off the mark after losing the first four games at home. They will be boosted by the return of regular captain Sophie Molineux, who opted out of the WPL, unless the quad injury she has been managing requires her to spend more time on the sidelines.

Allrounder Annabel Sutherland withdrew from the WPL earlier in the week citing personal reasons, but it remains to be seen if she has made herself available for the WNCL. The side would nonetheless still be without Meg Lanning, Georgia Wareham and Kim Garth and has also lost young quick Milly Illingworth to the Indian league.

Victoria squad v ACT: TBA

Western Australia v South Australia – WACA, Perth – January 8 and 10

Western Australia: WA have had two close results and the same number of thrashings, but not a win so far. To make matters worse, they are likely to be without their Australian internationals – Beth Mooney and Alana King – throughout the season.

The Chloe Piparo-led side still possesses plenty of experience and is capable of bouncing back in the tournament as it looks to avoid back-to-back wooden spoon finishes.

WA squad v South Australia: TBA

South Australia: The side has only played two games so far and is likely to receive major reinforcements from its internationals for the next six rounds. Australian quicks Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown could potentially join McGrath to help the team move up the ladder in the middle phase of the tournament.  

South Australia squad v WA: TBA

WNCL 2025-26 standings