The top four of the 11th edition of the WBBL will be locked in after the final league game on Sunday with both Sixers and Strikers in hunt
WBBL finals race down to Sunday's virtual quarterfinal
The Hobart Hurricanes have officially locked in top spot and will host the Weber WBBL|11 final.
The Scorchers have also booked a top three spot after their win over the Heat on Sunday, but where they finish on the ladder will only be determined after Sunday's final league game with the Sixers a chance to push them down to third.
The Stars have moved down to third and are at a risk of missing out on a home final after three losses in a row.
Fourth-placed Sixers can finish as high as second and and as low as fifth with the Adelaide Strikers – their opponent for Sunday's blockbuster final league game – just two points behind and enjoying a better run rate.
Defending champions Renegades have been eliminated from the race and will finish on 10 points.
At the other end of the table, Brisbane Heat have failed to win a single game this season and will miss the finals for the first time since WBBL|03, while the Thunder have finished on a high and with nine points.
The top four advance to the finals in WBBL|11, with the top-ranked team at the end of the 40-game regular season directly progressing to, and hosting, the final on Saturday, December 13.
The team that finishes third will host the fourth-ranked side in the Knockout on Tuesday, December 9, with the winner of that game to then play the second-ranked team in the Challenger on Thursday, December 11, for a spot in the final.
Here's how the eight teams are placed for the run home.
1st: Hobart Hurricanes (15 points)
Played 10| Won 7 | Lost 2 | NR 1 | NRR 0.662
The run home
The Hurricanes have secured top spot and will host the final on December 13, regardless of what happens with the other sides on the weekend.
The only concern for the Cane train could be momentum, with a stacked front end of WBBL|11 and their final match against the Strikers getting abandoned after the first innings meaning they don't have much game time behind them leading into the decider.
2nd: Perth Scorchers (10 points)
Played 10 | Won 6 | Lost 4 | NR 0 | NRR -0.132
The run home
The Scorchers have jumped from fifth to second after beating the Heat at home on Saturday.
With that result they are also guaranteed to host one of the finals as the lowest they can finish is third – if the Sixers defeat the Strikers on Sunday.
With positive results in their last two games, the momentum will put them at an advantage over potential finals opponents Hurricanes and Stars, who would be coming in on back of a long gap between games and a streak of losses respectively.
3rd: Melbourne Stars (11 points)
Played 10 | Won 5 | Lost 4 | NR 1 | NRR 0.629
The run home
The Stars look a vastly improved outfit on the side that finished on the bottom of the table last season, but three losses on the bounce to the 'Canes, the Sixers and now the Thunder to ponder.
After losing to the Thunder and the Scorchers' win over the Heat, they'll need to rely on the Strikers to beat the Sixers on Sunday to secure the hosting rights of the Knockout.
4th: Sydney Sixers (11 points)
Played 9 | Won 5 | Lost 3 | NR 1 | NRR -0.365
The run home
Dec 7 v Strikers (North Sydney Oval)
The Sixers missed out on a chance to lock in their finals berth with their defeat to the Renegades.
They can still finish second with a win over the Strikers, given the Stars lost to the Thunder.
With the Strikers' game against the Hurricanes on Friday night ending in a no result, their match on Sunday will be a virtual quarter-final.
5th: Melbourne Renegades (10 points)
Played 10 | Won 5 | Lost 5 | NR 0 | NRR 0.121
The defending champions were hanging on by a thread after defeating the Sydney Sixers in their final game of the season.
But they were reliant on the Heat to defeat the Scorchers on Saturday, which proved too tall an ask for the wooden spooners, dashing the Renegades' hopes and eliminating them from the race.
6th: Adelaide Strikers (9 points)
Played 9 | Won 3 | Lost 3 | NR 3| NRR 0.097
The run home
Dec 7 v Sixers (North Sydney Oval)
The Strikers are somehow still hanging in there – and now an even chance to take the final top four spot – after sharing points with the Hurricanes on Friday.
A few narrow defeats and three washouts mean the Strikers have a positive NRR, which will help them if they end up level with the Sixers.
As fate would have it, it is the team in magenta who they play in their final game. The equation is simple – beat them and they are through.
7th: Sydney Thunder (7 points)
Played 10 | Won 4 | Lost 5 | NR 1 | NRR -0.124
The run home
Raining on a finals prospect's parade was all the Thunder could hope for in their final match of the season, and that's exactly what they did.
In a weather-reduced 10-over slog, the Thunder got home comfortably against the Renegades, putting their finals destiny in the hands of other teams.
8th: Brisbane Heat (1 points)
Played 10| Won 0 | Lost 8 | NR 1 | NRR -0.869
The run home
The Heat have featured in the last seven finals series and have not missed out on the top four since WBBL|03. Unfortunately, that golden run has come to an end with last year's finalists finishing right at the bottom with no wins to show the whole season.
Weber WBBL|11 finals structure
The Knockout
Team 3 v Team 4, Tuesday, December 9, 7.10pm AEDT
The Knockout is hosted by the team that finishes third, with the winner to advance to The Challenger.
The Challenger
Team 2 v the winner of The Knockout, Thursday, December 11, 7.10pm AEDT
The Challenger is hosted by the team that finishes second, with the winner to advance to The Final.
The Final
Hobart Hurricanes v the winner of the Challenger, Sunday, December 13
The Final is hosted by the team that finishes first, and the winner will be crowned WBBL|11 champions!
WBBL|11 finals venues
Adelaide Strikers: Karen Rolton Oval
Hobart Hurricanes: Ninja Stadium
Melbourne Stars: MCG
Perth Scorchers: WACA Ground
Sydney Sixers: North Sydney Oval
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.662 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.313 | 0 | 13 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.132 | 0 | 12 |
|
4
STA
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.629 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
REN
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0.077 | 0 | 9 |
|
7
THU
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.124 | 0 | 9 |
|
8
HEA
|
10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | -0.869 | 0 | 1 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points