Hobart Hurricanes defeated Sydney Thunder in their WBBL 2025 opener by 6 wickets
Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nicola Carey starred with their batting performances
Wyatt-Hodge adjudged player of the match for her outstanding 90 off 52
The Hobart Hurricanes, led by Elyse Villani, claimed a 6-wicket victory in their opening match of the 2025/26 Women's Big Bash League against the Phobe Litchfield-led Sydney Thunder at the Allan Border Field on Sunday, November 9.
Hurricanes had won the toss and asked the Sydney Thunder to bat first. Tahlia Wilson (22 off 23) and Georgia Voll (15 off 16) started off strongly with their partnership of 55 runs. The opening duo departed in the 6th and 7th overs respectively.
Skipper Phoebe Litchfield was looking in a great touch, but she could not convert her blistering start, which saw her bat at a strike rate of over 250 before losing her wicket to Molly Strano for a score of 16 off 6.
England's Heather Knight (39 off 31) and Sri-Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu (32 off 22) then had a short 45-run stand with Laura Harris and Anika Learoyd scoring 20 and 11 each to help Sydney Thunder post 181 on the board.
From Hobart's bowling front, Molly Strano, Linsey Smith and Lauren Smith collected a wicket each while Hayley Silver-Holmes and Heather Graham registered braces.
In the 2nd innings, the Hurricanes lost opener Lizelle Lee (13) and number 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) cheaply at a score of just 27. However, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nicola Carey, then stitched a match winning partnership of 143 runs.
Wyatt-Hodge smashed 90 off 52 at a strike rate of over 170 with 9 fours and 3 sixes before getting out in the 18th over by Samantha Bates. Hobart lost another wicket of Heather Graham for just 8 in the 19th over, but the damage was already done as they needed just 3 runs for the win.
Nicola Carey, who scored 58 off 43 at a rate of 143, guided her side towards victory alongside skipper Elyse Villani, who scored the winning runs.
Up next: Hobart will take on Sydney Sixers on Thursday, November 13 with Sydney Thunder going head-to-head against Melbourne Renegades on Tuesday, November 11.
Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025: Toss Update
Hobart Hurricanes have won the toss and have opted to field
Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025: Playing XI
Hobart Hurricanes Women: Lizelle Lee(w), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Elyse Villani(c), Rachel Trenaman, Hayley Silver-holmes, Molly Strano, Lauren Smith, Linsey Smith
Sydney Thunder Women: Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson(w), Phoebe Litchfield(c), Heather Knight, Chamari Athapaththu, Anika Learoyd, Laura Harris, Hasrat Gill, Taneale Peschel, Shabnim Ismail, Samantha Bates
Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025: Live Streaming Detials
Where will the Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025 match be telecast and live streamed?
The Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025 will be telecast on the Star Sports Network TV channels in India. It will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India.
Sydney Thunder Vs Hobart Hurricanes, WBBL 2025: Squads
Hobart Hurricanes Women Squad: Lizelle Lee(w), Ruth Johnston, Nicola Carey, Elyse Villani(c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Graham, Lauren Smith, Hayley Silver-holmes, Linsey Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Callie Wilson, Kathryn Bryce, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge
Sydney Thunder Women Squad: Georgia Voll, Chamari Athapaththu, Phoebe Litchfield(c), Heather Knight, Tahlia Wilson(w), Anika Learoyd, Samantha Bates, Hasrat Gill, Taneale Peschel, Alexandra Mavros, Shabnim Ismail, Laura Harris, Ella Briscoe
