[1] Featuring seven teams—one from every state, plus the Australian Capital Territory—each season's winner is awarded the Ruth Preddy Cup.

Beginning in 1996–97, the WNCL replaced the Australian Women's Cricket Championships which had taken place in a two-week tournament format since 1930–31.

[4][5][6][7][8] In particular, it is considered a crucial platform for Australia's finest young cricketers to further develop their skills and strive for national team selection.

[10][11][12][13] The tournament features seven teams, with matches played across Australia at a combination of bigger venues including the WACA Ground in Perth and Blundstone Arena in Hobart, as well as smaller grounds including CitiPower Centre in Melbourne and Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide.

Coinciding with the introduction of the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, the WNCL finals series was reduced to a single match from 2007–08 onward.