Women's Cricket Super League

Women's Cricket Super League
Countries England England and Wales[nb 1]
Administrator ECB
Format Twenty20
First tournament 2016
Tournament format Round-robin and knockout stage
Number of teams 6
Current trophy holder Southern Vipers
Most successful Southern Vipers (1 title)
2017 Women's Cricket Super League

The Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL), known as the Kia Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a semi-professional women's cricket competition in England and Wales[nb 1] that began with its inaugural season in 2016. It launched with six teams playing in a Twenty20 format only, with the intention of adding a fifty over competition from 2017 onwards. In July 2017, the ECB announced that plans for the 50-over women's league would be scrapped. Instead, the KSL is to be expanded starting from 2018 with each of the six teams to play ten group-stage games as opposes to five. The Southern Vipers were the first champions of the WCSL.

History

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced their plans for the Women's Cricket Super League in June 2015, stating they would invest £3 million over four years. The competition would launch with six teams playing in a Twenty20 format, with the intention being to add a fifty over competition in 2017.[1] The ECB received 28 applications to host teams in the first stage of bidding,[2] with the process subsequently moving to an interview stage.[3] The six successful bids were announced in January 2016.[4] The ECB hope that the WCSL will develop as a semi-professional competition, with the intention of bridging the gap between the amateur Women's County Championship and international cricket, for which England players are centrally contracted as professionals.[5]

Teams

The ECB announced the six hosts for the WCSL in January 2016, with hosting rights awarded for the first four years of the competition, 2016 to 2019 inclusive. The hosts and partners include seven First-class counties, five minor counties and three universities.[6] Team names, along with the fixtures and venues for the 2016 season, were announced in February 2016.[7][8] The allocation of England players to the teams was announced in April 2016,[9] with overseas player allocations being announced later that month.[10]

Former England captain Charlotte Edwards led the Southern Vipers to the inaugural WCSL title in 2016
Team Hosts and partners Home grounds Captain
Lancashire Thunder
Amy Satterthwaite
Loughborough Lightning Loughborough University Haslegrave Ground Georgia Elwiss
Southern Vipers
Charlotte Edwards
Surrey Stars Surrey County Cricket Club
Natalie Sciver
Western Storm
Heather Knight
Yorkshire Diamonds Yorkshire County Cricket Club Headingley Lauren Winfield

Tournament results

Tournament Winners Runners-up Final result Final venue
2016 Southern Vipers Western Storm Vipers won by 7 wickets County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford

Format

The County Ground in Chelmsford staged the 2016 WCSL finals day

Matches are played in a Twenty20 format. The six teams initially play each other once each in a round robin league, from which the top three finishers qualify for the finals day at a neutral venue. The second and third placed teams then meet in the semi-final for the right to face the first placed team in the final. The 2016 finals day was staged at the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford.[8][11]

Media coverage

The 2016 tournament was not broadcast on television but seven group matches and the finals day were broadcast live on BBC radio's Test Match Special.[12][13]

Sponsorship

The ECB announced a two-year title sponsorship agreement for the WCSL with Kia Motors in March 2016, as a result of which the competition is known as the Kia Super League.[14]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Officially, the competition covers England and Wales, as the England and Wales Cricket Board governs the sport in both countries; however, all current teams are based in England.

References

  1. ↑ Burnton, Simon (18 June 2015). "ECB announces plan to launch Women’s Cricket Super League next year". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Women's Cricket Super League receives 28 bids at first stage". BBC Sport. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Women’s Cricket Super League enters next stage of host award process". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Women's Cricket Super League: Six successful bids announced for new T20 league". BBC Sport. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Women's Cricket Super League 'can produce players for England'". BBC Sport. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Women’s Cricket Super League hosts announced". England and Wales Cricket Board. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "WCSL: Yorkshire Diamonds host Loughborough Lightning in opening game". BBC Sport. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 "ECB Women's Cricket Super League 2016 match schedule" (pdf). England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Charlotte Edwards named Southern Vipers skipper for Women's Super League". BBC Sport. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Lanning, Taylor, Bates among WSL overseas stars". ESPNcricinfo. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "WCSL team names and schedule revealed". England and Wales Cricket Board. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Macpherson, Will (21 August 2016). "Kia Super League finals day marks end of new beginning for women’s game". The Guardian.
  13. ↑ Nicholson, Raf (4 July 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Kia Super League On TMS But No Sky Coverage". CRICKETher.
  14. ↑ "Kia Motors to sponsor WCSL". England and Wales Cricket Board. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
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