Sheffield Shield: Teams, dates, format, venues and points system

The Sheffield Shield represents the top level of first-class cricket in Australia.

Played by the nation's six states, teams compete in a league system before a final to determine the season's champions.

Find out all you need to know about the competition below.

Sheffield Shield dates

The Sheffield Shield is contested throughout the Australian summer, starting in early October and finishing at the end of March.

The 2025/26 season will start on 4th October 2025 with the final taking place on 26th March 2026.

Sheffield Shield schedule

Round	Dates
1	4-7 October 2025
2	15-18 October 2025
3	28-31 October 2025
4	10-13/11-14 November 2025
5	22-25 November 2025
6	4-7/5-8 December 2025
7	5-8 February 2026
8	16-19 February 2026
9	5-8 March 2026
10	14-17 March 2026
Final	26-29 March 2026

Sheffield Shield teams

Six teams contest the Sheffield Shield each season: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia

Sheffield Shield venues

A variety of venues are used by teams in the Sheffield Shield throughout the season, with only Tasmania playing at one ground.

New South Wales
Cricket Central
Drummoyne Oval
North Dalton Park
Bankstown Oval
Sydney Cricket Ground

Queensland
Allan Border Field
Brisbane Cricket Ground

South Australia
Adelaide Oval
Karen Rolton Oval

Tasmania
Bellerive Oval

Victoria
Junction Oval
Melbourne Cricket Ground

Western Australia
Perth Stadium
WACA Ground

Sheffield Shield prize money

The winning teams receives $75,000 from the $220,000 prize pool with the runners-up taking $45,000.

Sheffield Shield format

The six states play each other home and away for a total of 10 matches throughout the season. The top two teams at the end of the season will play each other in a final at the highest-ranked team's ground to determine the season's champion.

Should the game finish in a draw or a tie, the highest-ranked team will be named champions.

Sheffield Shield points system

Six points are awarded for a win in the Sheffield Shield with three points for a tie where both teams have competed two innings.

No points are awarded for a loss, with one point awarded to each team in the event of an abandoned or drawn match.

0.01 bonus points are awarded for each run above 200 in the first 100 overs of the first innings for each team. For example, if a team scores 300 runs in the first innings inside 100 overs, they will earn one bonus point.

0.1 bonus points are awarded for each wicket in the first 100 overs of the first innings for each team. For example, if a team bowls their opponents out inside 100 overs, they will earn one bonus point.

Sheffield Shield history

First contested in the 1892/93 season, the Sheffield Shield initially only had New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria as participants with Queensland joining in 1926.

Western Australia joined for the 1947/48 season, with Tasmania the last to join in the 1977/78 season.

New South Wales have the most titles with 47 ahead of Victoria on 32 and Western Australia on 18.

Sheffield Shield current holders

South Australia ended a 29-year drought in winning the 2024/25 Sheffield Shield, beating Queensland by four wickets.

How to bet

Betting is available on every Sheffield Shield match throughout the season with a variety of markets offered on players and teams.