Melbourne Renegades 66 for 3 (Webb 34*) beat Brisbane Heat 133 (de Klerk 40, Wareham 3-12, Capsey 3-22, Flintoff 3-30) by seven wickets (DLS method)
Melbourne Renegades stand-in captain Georgia Wareham returned career-best WBBL figures in a seven-wicket win over Brisbane Heat as the defending champions began with victory in a rain-shortened contest.
Wareham, filling in for injured skipper Sophie Molineux, took 3 for 12 in a superb spell of legspin in the rematch of last season's WBBL final. She was also there at the end with the bat to guide her side to victory.
Heat, batting through light drizzle at Allan Border Field on Sunday afternoon, were bowled out for 133 off the last ball of the 20th over after being sent in by Wareham. The rain strengthened and when play resumed the run chase was reduced to eight overs and a DLS target of 66.
Renegades were 13 for 3 after two overs but Wareham and Courtney Webb guided them to victory with three deliveries remaining.
India's Jemimah Rodrigues and Nadine de Klerk of South Africa - opponents in the recent World Cup final won by India - teamed up again for Heat. Rodrigues, who had made an unbeaten 127 in the stunning semi-final win over Australia, made just 6. De Klerk was in top form and struck the ball beautifully through the cover region.
West Indies allrounder Chinelle Henry quickly endeared herself to the home crowd with a swashbuckling 29, which featured one huge six. Henry was another of Wareham's victims just as she was threatening to cut loose.
Georgia Redmayne, usually an opener for Heat where she has enjoyed so much success, was wasted batting at No. 8 and looked good for her 16 before she too fell to spin. Wareham rotated her bowlers superbly with fellow spinner Alice Capsey and new signing Tess Flintoff shining.
Hobart Hurricanes 182 for 4 (Wyatt-Hodge 90, Carey 58) beat Sydney Thunder 181 for 8 (Knight 39) by six wickets
Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nicola Carey shared a Hobart Hurricanes record stand as they opened the season with their highest successful chase in the WBBL.
Sydney Thunder's middle order all scored rapidly, but the 143-run third-wicket partnership off just 82 balls between Wyatt-Hodge and Carey ensured Hurricanes could get home with three balls to spare, and in reality it was a little more comfortable than that with Shabnim Ismail doing well to force it into the final over.
Wyatt-Hodge launched three sixes in her 52-ball 90, her highest score in WBBL, and might have been able to reach a century with 12 needed when she fell to Sam Bates. Carey finished unbeaten on 58, placing the ball expertly throughout her innings after Hurricanes had been 27 for 2 following the early losses of Lizelle Lee and England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Unlike Hurricanes, Thunder didn't have a batter build on their start. Tahlia Wilson and Georgia Voll added 55 for the first wicket before falling in the space of five deliveries. Phoebe Litchfield played a stunning reverse sweep and raced to 16 when she fell to Molly Strano.
Overseas duo Heather Knight and Chamari Athapaththu both played useful hands while Laura Harris, in her first game for the club, cracked 20 off just seven balls but fell with 21 balls remaining when she could have done some serious damage.
Sydney Sixers 112 for 0 (Dunkley 61*, Perry 47*) beat Perth Scorchers 109 (Gardner 5-15) by 10 wickets
Ashleigh Gardner produced the ultimate captain's performance to lead the Sydney Sixers to a crushing 10-wicket WBBL win over the Perth Scorchers at the WACA.
Gardner's first match as full-time Sixers skipper was as close to perfection as you could get, with the 28-year-old snaring a remarkable 5 for 15 off four overs as Perth were skittled for 109. They were the best WBBL bowling figures by a Sixers player.
In reply to Scorchers' meagre total, Sixers then raced to the victory target with a whopping 43 balls to spare courtesy of breezy knocks from Sophia Dunkley and Ellyse Perry in a performance that will send a huge warning to the rest of their opponents.
Gardner's rampage began with the key wicket of Sophie Devine, who was stumped in almost accidental fashion after wicketkeeper Emma Manix-Geeves fumbled the ball. Devine was initially reluctant to leave the ground but slow-mo replays confirmed the ball had dislodged the bail and the keeper's gloves.
