WBBL Season 7 (2021-22): Perth Scorchers Win Maiden Title by 12 Runs, Harmanpreet Kaur Breaks Tradition as Player of the Tournament

Perth Scorchers won their first Women's Big Bash League title on 27 November 2021, defeating Adelaide Strikers by 12 runs in the WBBL Season 7 final at Perth Stadium. Marizanne Kapp — the South Africa and Western Australia right-handed batter and right-arm seamer — produced a match-winning all-round performance of 31* off 23 balls plus 1/25 to earn Player of the Match. Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades) was named Player of the Tournament for the full season — the first time the award had ever been won by a player from outside Australia or New Zealand.

Marizanne Kapp: All-Round Player of the Match

Marizanne Kapp's 31* off 23 balls and 1/25 in the WBBL Season 7 final was the decisive all-round contribution in Perth Scorchers' 12-run victory over Adelaide Strikers. Kapp — South Africa's right-handed batter and right-arm seam bowler who has been one of the most complete women's cricketers in world cricket across multiple T20 leagues — brought her ability to contribute in both innings phases to the final: her batting provided late runs that proved critical to Perth's total, and her bowling helped restrict Strikers' chase. Her consistency as a franchise T20 player across multiple WBBL seasons made the Player of the Match award a reflection of accumulated trust as much as one outstanding innings.

Harmanpreet Kaur: First Non-Australian/New Zealander to Win WBBL Player of the Tournament

Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades) winning the WBBL Season 7 Player of the Tournament award was a historic moment in the competition's short history: she became the first player from outside Australia or New Zealand to win the award since its introduction. Harmanpreet — India's T20I captain and one of the most destructive left-handed batters in women's cricket globally — has built her reputation partly through franchise T20 performances that demonstrate what she can do when liberated from the pressures of captaining a national team. Her WBBL Season 7 campaign reflected the quality she brings to any team environment: attacking left-handed batting, experienced T20 match-reading, and the ability to win matches from positions that require individual inspiration.

Perth Scorchers' Maiden Title in Context

Perth Scorchers' WBBL Season 7 title was their first championship in the competition's history, coming at Perth Stadium (Optus Stadium) in their home city. The victory was particularly meaningful given that the Scorchers would not win another WBBL title immediately — Adelaide Strikers won Seasons 8 and 9 back-to-back — but it confirmed Perth as a franchise capable of producing a title-winning campaign when the full squad peaked together. The final was played in the same city where the men's Perth Scorchers consistently played their BBL home matches, giving the women's franchise a home-final advantage that they converted.