WBBL 2020: One batter from each team to look out for in the playoffs

The league phase of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL 2020) came to a close on Sunday with Melbourne Stars ending up on top of the table. The Stars finished with 19 points from 14 matches. They will face the fourth-placed Perth Scorchers in the first semi-final on 25th November.

The second semi-final on 26th November will see Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder go head-to-head, after finishing second and third respectively, in the league stage.

The winners of these two matches will then do battle for the WBBL trophy on 28th November. All the matches will be hosted at the North Sydney Oval.

Check out the details of WBBL live streaming

Locked and loaded for the #WBBLFinals 😎 pic.twitter.com/KOMXq0V8YQ

— Rebel Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 22, 2020

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One batter from each WBBL side to look out for in the playoffs

With the playoffs about to begin, let us have a look at one batter from each team, who will play a key role for their team.

Beth Mooney (Perth Scorchers)

Beth Mooney in action. [perthscorchers.com.au]

Beth Mooney, the number one ranked batter in WT20I cricket has continued her fantastic run of form in the 2020 edition of the WBBL as well. She is the leading run-scorer in the season with 524 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 119.36. This includes three half-centuries as well.

In her last four outings, Mooney scored 45 against Melbourne Stars, 49 against Brisbane Heat, 48* against Hobart Hurricanes and 60 against Adelaide Strikers. She also became the first player to complete 3000 runs in the WBBL on Saturday.

Mooney had played a match-winning knock in the final when Brisbane Heat clinched the title in the 4th edition of the WBBL. She will be hoping to replicate the feat this year for the Scorchers.

Meg Lanning (Melbourne Strikers)

Meg Lanning [melbournestars.com.au]

Meg Lanning has the most fifty-plus scores in this edition of the WBBL. Two out of her six half-centuries have come against the Perth Scorchers, whom her team will face in the playoffs on Wednesday. She certainly seems to have taken a liking to the Scorchers' bowling attack.

She is currently third in the list of top run-getters for the season. Lanning has scored 458 runs from 13 matches and her strike rate is up there near the 130-mark.

Meg Lanning scored over 500 runs in the first couple of seasons, but the next two seasons were marred with injuries. She still occupies the fourth place in the all-time run-getters list in WBBL history.

The four-time ICC World T20 winner is yet to win silverware in the WBBL. Lanning will be hoping that changes this time around.

Heather Knight (Sydney Thunder)

Heather Knight [sydneythunder.com.au]

English cricketer Heather Knight has been in fabulous form for the Sydney Thunder throughout WBBL 2020. She has amassed 403 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 127.53, including four fifty-plus scores.

Her standout innings in the season came against the Adelaide Strikes when she smashed 83 runs off just 39 deliveries, including three sixes and eleven boundaries.

However, her form against her team's semi-final opponents hasn’t been the greatest. Knight scored 2 & 25 the two times Sydney Thunder met Brisbane Heat this season.

The batting fortunes of the Sydney Thunder will depend a lot on Heather Knight and Rachael Haynes during the playoffs, with both of them being the in-form batters for their side.

Georgia Redmayne (Brisbane Heat)

Georgia Redmayne [womenscriczone.com]

Georgia Redmayne started the season by scoring 37 against Scorchers. But that innings was followed by a couple of ducks and a single-digit score. She managed to turn that around, scoring three fifties and two more thirty-plus scores in the next eight innings.

The New South Wales wicket-keeper batter is the leading run-scorer for Brisbane Heat so far in WBBL 2020. She has 332 runs against her name from 13 matches at a strike rate of 117.73.

Redmayne scored a half-century against Sydney Thunder the last time these two teams met. This would certainly give her some confidence going into their playoff match on November 26.

That's 56 games of the #WBBL06 regular season done and dusted!A huge thank you to the Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes for sacrificing so much to be apart of a season like no other. We'll see you next year! pic.twitter.com/gzUg8Oojxa

— Rebel Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 22, 2020