The 12th season of the Women's Big Bash League got under way on October 29 and runs through to December 5, with 43 matches including three knockout fixtures across the tournament. Two late squad changes forced by injury have shaped the build-up, with Yastika Bhatia and Chamari Athapaththu both brought in as replacements in the days before the opening round.
Brisbane Heat signed Yastika Bhatia to complete their squad after Jess Jonassen was ruled out with a hip injury. Bhatia, who played six games for Melbourne Stars in WBBL|10, returns to the competition as the sole Indian player in this year's tournament — a notable gap given India's depth of white-ball batting talent.
Hobart Hurricanes, who beat Perth Scorchers by eight wickets in last season's final to win the 2025-26 title, lost Danni Wyatt-Hodge to injury before the new season and replaced her with Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu. The signing gives the champions a proven international opener to lean on as they defend their title.
The tournament will be shown live in India on the Star Sports Network, with Australian audiences able to watch every match on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, while Channel 7 carries a selection of matches free-to-air. The reach across India and Australia keeps the WBBL among the highest-profile women's domestic T20 competitions globally.
With Hobart Hurricanes defending their title against a Perth Scorchers side that reached last year's final, and both squads now reshaped by injury replacements, the opening rounds carry extra interest beyond the usual pool-stage jockeying. Brisbane Heat's reliance on a single overseas-trained Indian player in Bhatia also puts a spotlight on her form as a lone data point for Indian fans following the tournament this year.
Hobart's run to a maiden title last season was built in part on their overseas batting depth, and losing Wyatt-Hodge so close to the new campaign means Athapaththu is being asked to step into a similar top-order role rather than easing in as a squad rotation option. Perth Scorchers, who fell short in that final, now face a Hurricanes side with a different overseas core but the same core of Australian players that took them to the title, making the opening rounds between the two sides a useful early read on whether last season's gap has closed.
With 43 matches to play out over five weeks, injury replacements of this kind are common across the WBBL calendar, but the timing here — both changes confirmed in the days immediately before the opening round — meant Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes each had minimal preparation time with their new signings before the season got under way.
Chamari Athapaththu's proven international record makes her an immediate like-for-like fantasy consideration wherever Hobart Hurricanes need top-order runs, while Yastika Bhatia is worth tracking as a value pick for Brisbane Heat given her returns are the least proven of this year's overseas and replacement signings.
More tournament coverage is available on SportGod's blog, with AI-powered previews on SportGod's predictions page and fantasy squad tools on SportGod's games page.
Squad changes, broadcast details, and season dates in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting as of October 30, 2026; results from the opening round were not yet available at the time of writing.
Try Sport God AI live
Live scores, AI predictions, and fantasy — free during IPL 2026.