Melbourne Stars have strengthened their batting reaomi Stalenberg, who joins the membership for her fourth Big Bash franchise after earlier stints with Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades. The 32-year-old arrives with 139 WBBL appearances and 1,623 runs behind her, offering the Stars a confirmed T20 campaigner as they chase a first-ever title under newly appointed captain Meg Lanning
Stalenberg has been part of the Women’s Big Bash League since its inaugural season in 2015, and her move across Melbourne from the Renegades adds both familiarity and depth to a Stars squad making ready for the 12th edition, which runs from October 29 to December 5, 2026. She becomes the franchise’s 14th contracted participant, with yet another signing still to be confirmed.
Melbourne Stars’ Normal Manager James Rosengarten highlighted the worth of including a participant with Stalenberg’s longevity and big-match publicity. “It’s not straightforward to search out players with the level of expertise that Naomi has, so we’re actually excited to bring her into our program,” he mentioned.
Rosengarten also pointed to the batting qualities that made her an attractive signing. “Naomi is a very clean striker of the ball, which is all the time useful in T20 cricket. We’ve got seen what she will be able to do on the sphere and know she will be a fantastic help for our youthful players as effectively.”
Stalenberg has wasted little time settling into her new surroundings. She featured within the Stars’ T20 Spring Problem final week, scoring 34 towards the Meteors and an unbeaten 24 towards the Sixers, providing an early glimpse of the composure and striking skill she is predicted to bring to the middle order.
Throughout 139 Big Bash matches for three teams, Stalenberg has gathered 1,623 runs at a strike price of 105.66. Her skill to accelerate with out abandoning timing might prove notably useful for a Stars facet that completed fourth in WBBL 11 with 11 points from 10 games, recording five wins, 4 losses and one washed-out fixture.
The signing also carries a compelling narrative. Stalenberg moves from Melbourne Renegades, the Stars’ cross-town rivals, to a franchise still looking for its maiden WBBL crown. The Stars are the one original group but to win the title, with their greatest result coming in WBBL 06 in 2020, when they completed runners-up.
For Stalenberg, the chance represents one other chapter in a profession that has spanned the competition’s total historical past. A robust batter capable of shifting momentum quickly, she also earned international recognition with a single T20 Worldwide appearance for Australia in 2016. Her arrival provides Lanning one other experienced voice in a squad that blends established internationals with rising talent. The contracted group consists of Sophie Day, Charlie Dean, Kim Garth, Dani Gibson, Maisy Gibson, Amy Jones, Meg Lanning (captain), Carly Leeson, Rhys McKenna, Indigo Noble, Georgia Prestwidge, Zoe Samuel, Naomi Stalenberg and Annabel Sutherland.
The Melbourne Stars will open WBBL 12 towards defending champions Hobart Hurricanes within the tournament’s second match at Junction Oval, Melbourne, on October 29, 2026, starting at 1:40 PM IST. With Lanning leading the facet and Stalenberg including expertise to the batting group, Melbourne will hope that is the season their long look forward to a WBBL title lastly ends.
I’m Yash Tailor, and I consider work needs to be driven by passion. Due to this fact, after completing my Engineering, I selected to work within the Cricket industry, my passion. My aim is to succeed in a stage the place I truly take pleasure in what I do and give my greatest to each activity with vitality and goal.
Source: femalecricket.com
