The Women's Big Bash League returns for its twelfth season, WBBL|12, running 29 October to 5 December 2026 across Australia. Eight franchises, a single round-robin, and a finals series to decide the champion. Squads for 2026/27 haven't been announced yet by ESPNcricinfo or cricket.com.au, so this is a genuinely pre-season guide, here's how WBBL 2026 Season Fantasy works on CricketDream, what to do before squads drop, and why getting in early with a full 150-transfer budget matters once the tournament starts.
What Is WBBL 2026 Season Fantasy?
WBBL 2026 Season Fantasy is CricketDream's tournament-long game mode for the Women's Big Bash League 2026/27. You pick one squad of 11 players from the 8 competing franchises, Adelaide Strikers Women, Brisbane Heat Women, Hobart Hurricanes Women, Melbourne Renegades Women, Melbourne Stars Women, Perth Scorchers Women, Sydney Sixers Women and Sydney Thunder Women, and that squad earns points across every match of the tournament, from the opening round-robin fixture through to the Final. Your cumulative total decides your spot on the global leaderboard.
Unlike a regular Fantasy XI, where you build a brand-new team every match, Season Fantasy gives you one squad to manage for the entire competition, plus a 150-transfer budget to use across the whole season. That's a notably larger transfer allowance than most rival fantasy games hand out for a single tournament, real room to react to form, team news and finals-race pressure without running dry before the business end.
How It Works, The Basics
- Go to Season Fantasy and click Build Your Squad
- Select 11 players from any of the 8 WBBL franchises within a 100 Cr budget
- Meet the minimum split, at least 1 wicket-keeper, 3 batters, 1 all-rounder, 3 bowlers
- Set a captain (2× points) and vice-captain (1.5× points), both free to change before every match
- Your team locks at each match start time, save changes before the toss
- Points accumulate across the whole tournament; the leaderboard tracks your running total
- Use your 150 transfers to react to squad announcements, form and team news as the season unfolds
150 transfers for one 8-team tournament is a generous budget by fantasy-game standards. Don't feel you have to hoard them, use a chunk early to correct your squad once real squads and team news land, and still have plenty in reserve for the finals.
The 8 WBBL 2026 Franchises
Two franchises share Melbourne (Renegades and Stars) and two share Sydney (Sixers and Thunder), so venue and travel scheduling can bunch matches together in those cities. Worth keeping an eye on once the fixture list is out, back-to-back home games can mean less rotation risk for a franchise's best players.
Format, Round-Robin to Final
WBBL 2026 runs a single round-robin, all 8 teams play each other once, for 40 league matches total. There are no groups, so every result affects the same ladder from day one.
- Round-robin: 40 league matches, every franchise plays every other franchise once
- Knockout, 1 December, the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams from the round-robin play each other
- Challenger, 3 December, the loser of the Knockout takes on the top-of-the-table team from the round-robin
- Final, 5 December, the winners of the Knockout and Challenger meet to decide the champion
If you haven't followed Australian domestic cricket's finals structure before, the Challenger is the safety net for the round-robin's top team, they get a second chance to reach the Final even if they lose the Knockout, while the 2nd and 3rd-placed sides both have to win their way through. It rewards topping the table during the long round-robin phase, which is worth remembering when you're deciding which franchise's players to build your squad around.
Squads Drop Soon, Here's What to Do Now
As of today, neither ESPNcricinfo nor cricket.com.au have announced full 2026/27 squads for any of the 8 WBBL franchises. That's normal this far out from a 29 October start, but it does mean there's no honest squad advice to give yet, any list of must-pick players right now would be a guess, not a fact. What you can do productively today is get set up so you're ready to move the moment squads land.
- Bookmark the WBBL 2026 hub, it will update with teams, fixtures and the points table as soon as they're confirmed
- Set a reminder for late October, squad announcements typically land in the weeks before a tournament starts
- Follow franchise news as it breaks, overseas signings and domestic retentions both shape squad value
- Build a rough squad shell now if you want a head start, you'll have transfers to correct it once real squads are out
- Wait for the toss report each matchday before locking in your final XI, confirmed lineups beat pre-season guesses every time
This guide will be kept updated as WBBL 2026 squads, fixtures and captain picks are confirmed. Check back closer to 29 October for the details that don't exist yet.
Scoring, How Points Work
WBBL Season Fantasy uses the same T20 scoring system as CricketDream's regular fantasy formats. Every run, wicket, catch and fielding contribution converts directly into points. Your captain earns 2× those points; your vice-captain earns 1.5×.
- Batting: +1 per run, +2 boundary, +4 six, +15 half-century, +30 century
- Bowling: +25 per wicket, +10 maiden over, +15 three-wicket haul, +25 five-wicket haul
- Fielding: +10 per catch/stumping/run-out, +10 bonus for 3+ fielding credits in a match
- Bonus: +4 for being in the confirmed playing XI
- Captain: 2× all points | Vice-captain: 1.5× all points
Private Leagues, Compete with Friends
WBBL Season Fantasy also supports private leagues. Everyone uses their own global season squad, but a separate leaderboard tracks just your group. Create a league from Season Fantasy → Leagues and share the invite code to turn the whole tournament into a competition with your friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does WBBL 2026 start?
WBBL|12 runs from 29 October to 5 December 2026 across Australia, with 8 franchises playing a single round-robin before the Knockout, Challenger and Final.
How many transfers do I get in WBBL Season Fantasy?
150 transfers to use across the entire tournament, a larger budget than CricketDream's Hundred Season Fantasy mode, giving you plenty of room to react to squad news and form.
Is WBBL Season Fantasy free to play?
Yes. Building and managing your squad is completely free, with no entry fee or prize pool, points and leaderboards are purely for bragging rights and competing with friends.
When will WBBL 2026 squads be announced?
As of publishing, full 2026/27 squads have not yet been announced by ESPNcricinfo or cricket.com.au. Squad news typically lands in the weeks before the tournament starts on 29 October, this guide will be updated once it does.
How do Season Fantasy points work?
The same T20 scoring system used across CricketDream, runs, boundaries, wickets, catches and fielding all convert to points, with your captain earning double and vice-captain 1.5× those points.
Can I join a private league with friends?
Yes. Create a private league from Season Fantasy → Leagues and share the invite code, everyone keeps their own squad but competes on a separate group leaderboard.
What is the Challenger match in WBBL's finals?
The Challenger, played 3 December, pits the loser of the Knockout against the team that finished top of the round-robin table. Its winner advances to the Final on 5 December.
Squads and fixtures will land soon, and CricketDream's WBBL 2026 Season Fantasy will be ready the moment they do. Build your squad shell now, or bookmark the hub and come back once the franchises confirm their line-ups, either way, a 150-transfer budget means you won't be locked into early guesses.
Build your WBBL 2026 Season Fantasy squad, free to play on CricketDream.
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