Renegade masters: The Gades' history of WBBL imports

The Big Bash Draft is almost upon us as the league's eight clubs ramp up their preparations for a milestone season of the Weber WBBL. Clubs will add at least two overseas players to their list for the tenth season of the competition at the draft on September 1.

In a new measure introduced this off-season, clubs have also been able to sign an overseas player prior to the draft on a multi-year contract. The Melbourne Renegades consolidated their list signing WBBL|09 captain Hayley Matthews for the next two years using the new rules.

After nine seasons of the WBBL, we're looking back, club-by-club, at every import that has turned out in the tournament, memorable or otherwise.

History of overseas signings

WBBL|01: Rachel Priest, Dane van Niekerk, Danielle Wyatt, Shabnim Ismail

 

WBBL|02: Rachel Priest, Lea Tahuhu, Danielle Wyatt

 

WBBL|03: Chamari Athapaththu, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu

 

WBBL|04: Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Danielle Wyatt

 

WBBL|05: Lea Tahuhu, Danielle Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Chamari Athapaththu

 

WBBL|06: Lea Tahuhu, Amy Satterthwaite, Lizelle Lee, Rosemary Mair

 

WBBL|07: Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues

 

WBBL|08: Chamari Athapaththu, Shabnim Ismail, Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews

 

WBBL|09: Hayley Matthews, Harmanpreet Kaur, Tammy Beaumont 

 

WBBL|10: Hayley Matthews

The players (sorted by matches played)

Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand)

Seasons: WBBL|02 - WBBL|06

 

M 61 | WKTS 52 | BBI 3-13 | Econ 6.04 | Avg 25.35

Lea Tahuhu has played the most games of any international player for the Renegades after her five-season stint for the club. A feared fast bowler, she showed from the beginning her skills taking eight wickets from just five games in her first season. Her best season was in WBBL|03 where she claimed an impressive 17 wickets and was picked in the Team of the Tournament for the feat. Tahuhu sits third on the Renegades’ all-time list for wickets behind Molly Strand and Sophie Molineux. 

Danielle Wyatt (England)

Seasons: WBBL|01 - WBBL|02 & WBBL|04 - WBBL|05

 

M 55 | Runs 1345 | HS 87 | SR 113.79 | Avg 28.02

 

WKTS 26 | BBI 4-13 | Econ 6.68 | Avg 22.35

Powerful top-order batter Danielle Wyatt became synonymous with the Renegades in the early seasons of the competition. Wyatt sits second all time for runs behind Sophie Molineux and was impressive in her first two seasons but it was when she returned to the side after a year away that she really exploded. She made the most runs for the club in WBBL|04, then in WBBL|05 she found another level. It was her most consistent season for the club, with innings of 87, 74, 61 and 57 on her way to 445 total runs. Those performances led to her being picked in the Team of the Tournament and her 87 from 55 balls is still the highest score by a Renegades player. Wyatt even provided cameos with the ball including an electrifying spell where she took 4-13 against the Heat. 

Amy Satterthwaite (New Zealand)

Seasons: WBBL|03 - WBBL|04 & WBBL|06

 

M 42 | Runs 897 | HS 66 | SR 97.39 | Avg 26.38

 

WKTS 15 | BBI 3-16 | Econ 6.94 | Avg 22.67

Amy Satterthwaite came across to the Renegades from the Hurricanes and took on the captaincy of the side. Satterthwaite went on to captain more matches than any other Renegade and was an influential figure during her time at the club. Leading by example she took out Player of the Tournament for WBBL|03, Renegades’ MVP and was part of the Team of the Tournament. She was known for her reliability as a middle-order batter and could calm the game down with ball in hand. Of her achievements one of the most impressive was returning to play in WBBL|06 after the birth of her and wife Lea Tahuhu’s daughter Grace. 

Hayley Matthews (West Indies)

Seasons: WBBL|08 - WBBL|09

 

M 28 | Runs 508 | HS 46 | SR 111.89 | Avg 19.54

 

WKTS 23 | BBI 3-17 | Econ 7.45 | Avg 30

Hayley Matthews is the most recent international signing for the club and recently penned a long-term deal to stay with the club under the leagues’ new international signing rules. She first joined in 2022 after a long career with the Hobart Hurricanes and was made captain a year later for WBBL|09. Her leadership was on show in a lean season for the Renegades top scoring with 253 runs and taking 14 wickets. 

Tammy Beaumont (England)

Seasons: WBBL|05 & WBBL|09

 

M 27 | Runs 573 | HS 43 | SR 108.94 | Avg 22.04

England international Tammy Beaumont has had two separate appearances at the Renegades where she’s shown her consistency with the bat. The top-order batter finished her first season with 296 runs, while she hit 277 in her most recent season. She signed with the club as a direct player nomination ahead of the draft last year and started strongly with 167 runs from her first five games. 

Harmanpreet Kaur (India)

Seasons: WBBL|07 - WBBL|09

 

M 27 | Runs 727 | HS 81 | SR 117.45 | Avg 38.26

 

WKTS 24 | BBI 3-22 | Econ 7.50 | Avg 18.79

Indian superstar Harmanpreet Kaur had an immediate impact when she joined the Melbourne Renegades for WBBL|07. She scored the most runs and took the most wickets for the season, capping it off by taking out Player of the Tournament and Renegades’ MVP. The allrounder was impressively consistent, only getting out on single figures once with her best scores being 81, 65 and 73, while with the ball she took wickets in all but three games. She wasn’t able to recreate those lofty heights last season but still impressed with a half-century against the Scorchers and figures of 2-11 and 43 not out in a memorable win against the Strikers. 

Rachel Priest (New Zealand)

Seasons: WBBL|01 - WBBL|02

 

M 26 | Runs 512 | HS 57 | SR 101.99 | Avg 19.69

One of the inaugural WBBL international players, Rachel Priest also captained the side for 16 games during her time at the club. She opened the batting and was a constant presence behind the stumps as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Priest scored one half-century against the Thunder in WBBL|01 but it was in her second season where she made the bulk of her career runs. She had three scores of 44 and made it to double digits nine times from 14 innings. 

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)

Seasons: WBBL|03, WBBL|05 & WBBL|08

 

M 26 | Runs 329 | HS 75* | SR 96.35 | Avg 15.67

Chamari Athapaththu had a breakout season with her domination of WBBL|09 where she was selected as the Player for the Tournament but it all started at the Renegades. She had three separate stints at the club but never reached the heights we saw recently at the Thunder. She scored 42 on debut and had a high score of 75* in WBBL|08 yet failed to find consistency across her game with her time coming to an end with three ducks in a row. 

Eve Jones (England)

Seasons: WBBL|07 - WBBL|08

 

M 16 | Runs 260 | HS 62 | SR 96.65 | Avg 18.57

Eve Jones made her biggest contribution to the Renegades in her first season where she made 236 runs opening the batting. She made one half-century, scoring 62 against the Heat, with her next best a score of 42 coming against the Thunder. She was signed again the next season as an overseas replacement player and played four games before the arrival of Harmanpreet Kaur. 

Shabnim Ismail (South Africa)

Seasons: WBBL|01 & WBBL|08

 

M 15 | W 14 | BB 3-10 | Econ 6.57 | Avg 25.36

Shabnim Ismail came to terrorise batters with her pace in the inaugural season and started strong with 3-10 on debut against the Stars. She only managed one more game in that first season but returned to the club in WBBL|08 after spending time at the Thunder. The South African took 11 wickets in her return season, her best performance coming against her former side where she took 2-26.

Dane van Niekerk (South Africa)

Seasons: WBBL|01

 

M 14 | Runs 275 | HS 52 | SR 99.28 | Avg 23.56

 

WKTS 9 | BBI 4-20 | Econ 6.95 | Avg 16.79

Dane van Niekerk started her WBBL career at the Renegades before going on to join the Sydney Sixers where she cemented herself as one of the premier international players of the competition. In her one season at the Renegades she showed off her versatility with bat and ball. She made one fifty, hit 31 boundaries and made the most runs of any Renegade in WBBL|01. She was dangerous with her leg-break bowling as well finishing with nine wickets and an impressive four-wicket haul against the Heat.

Lizelle Lee (South Africa)

Seasons: WBBL|06

 

M 13 | Runs 261 | HS 79 | SR 121.75 | Avg 21.75

It is often forgotten that Lizelle Lee spent a season at the Renegades because of her feats at the Stars and Hurricanes. She still made her mark on side, top scoring for the club that season with 261 runs, including 35 boundaries at her big-hitting best. 

Jemimah Rodrigues (India)

Seasons: WBBL|07

 

M 13 | Runs 333 | HS 75* | SR 116.43 | Avg 27.75

The Renegades became Jemimah Rodrigues’ first WBBL club when she joined alongside her national teammate Harmanpreet Kaur. She had success as a reliable opening batter in her only season for the club helping the side get over the line against the Thunder with her 75 not out, while she also scored a half-century against the Heat. 

Rosemary Mair (New Zealand)

Seasons: WBBL|06

 

M 5 | W 5 | BBI 2-14 | Econ 6.50 | Avg 23.40

Rosemary Mair holds the peculiar record of being the only WBBL player to play for two clubs in a single season. The New Zealander was in the Sydney hub has a replacement player during the COVID affected WBBL|06 and played five games for the Renegades before Lea Tahuhu could join the side and then she was signed by the Stars. It was a fruitful cameo for the bowler taking five wickets in five games with her best bowling coming against the Thunder.