2015–16 Women's Big Bash League season


The 2015–16 Women's Big Bash League season or WBBL|01 was the first season of Women's Big Bash League, the semi-professional women's Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Australia. The tournament ran from 5 December 2015 to 24 January 2016. Each WBBL team consisted of a squad of 14 players and were aligned with the men's teams in the Big Bash League.
In the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Thunder defeated cross-town rivals, the Sydney Sixers, to win the inaugural championship title.

Teams

Each squad featured 14 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees are defined as players who made at least ten limited-overs appearances for the national team between 1 July 2012 and 1 July 2015.

Points table

Win–loss table

Below is a summary of results for each team's fourteen regular season matches, plus finals where applicable, in chronological order. A team's opponent for any given match is listed above the margin of victory/defeat.
Team1234567891011121314SFF
XX7th
XX6th
X2nd
XX8th
XX5th
X4th

Fixtures

The format of the group stage was a double round-robin tournament. Several matches were scheduled at neutral venues with as many as five teams playing multiple matches in one city on the same weekend. There were 8 double-header regular season fixtures with the men's Big Bash League, as well as the semi-finals and final.

Weekend 1

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Weekend 2

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Weekend 3

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Weekend 4

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Weekend 5

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Weekend 6

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Weekend 7

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Knockout phase

Semi-finals

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Final

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Statistics

Highest totals

Most runs

Most wickets

Awards

Player of the tournament

Player of the Tournament votes are awarded on a 3-2-1 basis by the two standing umpires at the conclusion of every match, meaning a player can receive a maximum of six votes per game.
Pos.PlayerTeamVotes
1st Meg LanningMelbourne Stars36
2nd Charlotte EdwardsPerth Scorchers31
3rd Heather KnightHobart Hurricanes28
4th Ellyse PerrySydney Sixers26
=5th Stafanie TaylorSydney Thunder23
=5th Beth MooneyBrisbane Heat23
7th Jess JonassenBrisbane Heat20
=8th Marizanne KappSydney Sixers19
=8th Danielle WyattMelbourne Renegades19
10th Amy SatterthwaiteHobart Hurricanes18

Team of the tournament

An honorary XI recognising the standout performers of WBBL|01 was named by :
Players under 21 years of age at the start of the season are eligible for the Young Gun Award. Weekly winners are selected over the course of the season by a panel of Cricket Australia officials based on match performance, on-field and off-field attitude, and their demonstration of skill, tenacity and good sportsmanship. Each weekly winner receives a $500 Rebel gift card and the overall winner receives a $5000 cash prize, as well as access to a learning and mentor program.
The WBBL|01 Young Gun title was awarded to Sydney Thunder fast bowler Lauren Cheatle, who claimed 18 wickets at an economy rate of 5.81 across the season.

Audience

A total of ten matches were televised on free-to-air in the first season of Women's Big Bash League on One HD and Channel Ten. The average TV ratings for these matches are given below.
Initially only eight matches were scheduled to be televised on One HD. Due to higher than expected viewership, Channel Ten decided to move the Melbourne Derby on 2 January, the Sydney Smash on 16 January and the grand final to the primary channel, and also added coverage of the two semi finals on One.