Melbourne Stars (WBBL)


The Melbourne Stars are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in St Kilda, Victoria. They are one of two teams from Melbourne to compete in the Women's Big Bash League, the other being the Melbourne Renegades. To date, the Stars' best performance occurred in WBBL06 when they ended the regular season as minor premiers before ultimately finishing as runners-up.
WWW melbournestars.com.au

History

Formation

One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Melbourne Stars are aligned with the men's team of the same name. At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015, Meg Lanning was unveiled as the Stars' first-ever player signing. Lanning would also become the team's inaugural captain, while David Hemp was appointed as the inaugural coach.
The Stars played their first match on 5 December against the Brisbane Heat at the Junction Oval, winning by 20 runs.

Rivalries

Hobart Hurricanes

The Stars and Hobart Hurricanes have combined to produce an inordinate amount of matches with close finishes, including:16 January 2016, Blacktown ISP Oval: On a crumbling pitch, criticised earlier in the Australian summer for its sub-standard preparation, the Stars crawled to a first innings total of 7/96 before fighting back to have the Hurricanes at 4/49 in the twelfth over of the run chase. An unbroken stand of 48 runs from the next 51 balls between Corinne Hall and Amy Satterthwaite steered Hobart out of trouble, with Hall scoring a single on the final delivery to secure victory for the 'Canes.20 January 2017, Blundstone Arena: In a rain-affected encounter, Hobart posted a first innings total of 3/115 off 14 overs. Chasing a revised target of 98 from twelve overs, Melbourne lost 4/7 late in the match to leave a required twelve runs from the last two balls for victory. Jess Cameron proceeded to hit a six off the penultimate legal delivery before Hurricanes off-spinner Amy Satterthwaite bowled a front-foot no-ball while also conceding a four on what would have otherwise been the final ball of the innings. With Satterthwaite having to bowl the final delivery again, Cameron scored the remaining single needed to pull off an unlikely six-wicket win for the Stars.21 January 2017, Blundstone Arena: The following morning, on the last day of the WBBL|02 regular season, the Stars and Hurricanes met again—this time in what was effectively a quarter-final knockout match with the winner progressing to the semi-finals and the loser being eliminated from the tournament. Meg Lanning made 81 runs for the Stars in the first innings, earning Player of the Match honours, but was dismissed in the 19th over by a stunning Julie Hunter catch at square leg. A spell of 3/11 off four overs by Kristen Beams was not enough to defend the target of 136 as the Hurricanes scored the winning runs with four wickets in hand and one ball remaining.

Melbourne Renegades

Noteworthy matches between the Stars and their cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Renegades, include:1 January 2017, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Played in front of a reported crowd of 24,547—as part of a double-header with the men's BBL, setting a new record for the highest non-standalone WBBL attendance—the rain-affected match ended in anticlimactic fashion with the Renegades adjudged nine-wicket winners via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method. Stars captain Meg Lanning initially protested the ruling with officiating umpires, claiming she had been given false information about the par score by the match referee.20 January 2018, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Chasing 119 for victory, Renegades captain Amy Satterthwaite—who looked to have been run out earlier in the innings and left the field, but was recalled after TV replays showed wicket-keeper Nicole Faltum had dislodged the bails prematurely—hit a six off the final delivery against the bowling of Georgia Elwiss to tie the game. With scores still level after the super over, the Stars were awarded the win on the boundary count back rule.29 December 2018, Docklands Stadium: The Renegades recorded the second one-wicket victory in the league's history when Lea Tahuhu, a fast bowler not known for her batting ability, hit the winning single off leg-spinning Stars captain Kristen Beams with just one ball to spare. Courtney Webb, on 21 not out, was the set batter at the non-striker's end.

Captaincy records

There have been six captains in the Stars' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
CaptainSpanWonLostTied
Meg Lanning2015–236830330547.62
Kristen Beams2017–19197120036.84
Erin Osborne2018–1910450144.44
Elyse Villani2019142120014.29
Nicole Faltum202214560345.45
Annabel Sutherland2023–252410120245.45

Source:

Season summaries

SeasonFinalsCoachCaptainMost RunsMost WicketsRefs
7–75thDNQDavid HempMeg LanningMorna Nielsen – 18Meg Lanning*
2016–177–75thDNQDavid HempMeg Lanning
2017–185–97thDNQLizelle Lee – 349Erin Osborne – 15Erin Osborne
2018–195–87thDNQDavid HempKristen BeamsLizelle Lee – 276Alana King – 15Alana King
8thDNQDavid HempElyse VillaniLizelle Lee – 475Erin Osborne – 11Lizelle Lee
1st*RUMeg LanningMeg Lanning – 493Nat Sciver – 19Nat Sciver
5–75thDNQMeg LanningElyse Villani – 439Kim Garth – 15Kim Garth
5–66thDNQNicole FaltumAnnabel Sutherland
6–87thDNQJonathan BattyMeg LanningAnnabel Sutherland
2–78thDNQJonathan BattyMarizanne Kapp
20255–44thKFAndrew ChristieAnnabel SutherlandMeg Lanning – 479Sophie Day – 16TBD

Current squad

The squad of the Melbourne Stars for the 2025–26 Women's Big Bash League season as of 25 November 2025.
  • Players with international caps are listed in bold.

Players

Australian representatives

The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Melbourne Stars after making their debut in the national women's team :

Honours

Statistics and Awards

Team Stats

Win–loss record:
OppositionWonLostTied
Adelaide Strikers20990250
Brisbane Heat218110242.11
Hobart Hurricanes218130038.1
Melbourne Renegades229110245
Perth Scorchers2210120045.45
Sydney Sixers2210110147.62
Sydney Thunder214130423.53
Total149588001142.03
Highest score in an innings: 4/219 vs Sydney Sixers, 20 November 2025Highest successful chase: 1/181 vs Adelaide Strikers, 21 November 2021Lowest successful defence: 7/108 vs Sydney Thunder, 26 October 2021Largest victory:
Source:

Individual Stats

Most runs: Meg Lanning – 2,726Highest score in an innings: Meg Lanning – 135 vs Sydney Sixers, 20 November 2025Highest partnership: Meg Lanning and Rhys McKenna – 159 vs Sydney Sixers, 20 November 2025Most wickets: Annabel Sutherland – 100Best bowling figures in an innings: Sophie Day – 5/25 vs Sydney Sixers, 8 November 2023Hat-tricks taken: Gemma Triscari vs Sydney Thunder, 15 January 2016Most catches : Annabel Sutherland – 42Most dismissals : Nicole Faltum – 39
Source:

Individual Awards

Player of the Match: