Lanning to take captaincy reins at Stars

Meg Lanning will lead the Melbourne Stars this Rebel WBBL season, while the signing of allrounder Bhavi Devchand has completed their squad.

Lanning, who has returned to the club she skippered through the first two WBBL seasons after a three-year stint at the Perth Scorchers, will take over from Elyse Villani who captained the club last summer.

Under Lanning and new coach Trent Woodhill, the Stars are looking to turn around what has been a disappointing WBBL record to date as the only club to never make the tournament finals.

"I’m looking forward to leading the Melbourne Stars again and building on the great work Elyse Villani has done," Lanning said.

"It’s a privilege to be captain and we’re pretty happy with how our squad looks ahead of the tournament.

"More than anything, I’m really looking forward to getting back to playing cricket, firstly with Australia and then with Stars in WBBL."

After finishing bottom of the table with two wins from 14 matches last summer, the arrival of Lanning is one of six changes to their 15-player group.

Joining her are English stars Katherine Brunt and Natalie Sciver, unveiled by the club last week, while Devchand, Sophie Day and teenager Georgia Gall are the other new faces.

Devchand, 27, signed her first contract with Victoria this season and has previously played for the Perth Scorchers, Western Australia and Gloucestershire.

"Bhavi is obviously new to the Stars team and the Victorian squad this season," Lanning said. "We’re looking forward to having her involved in WBBL and I’m sure she’ll take a lot from the opportunity."

Emerging Australia allrounder Annabel Sutherland and South Africa’s Mignon du Preez round out the marquee group, while the Stars also have the experience of top-order batter Villani to call on.

Woodhill said he hoped the additions made to the bowling group – including the pace of Brunt and Sciver – would help address an area that hurt the Stars in WBBL|05.

"I think we’re in a pretty good place," Woodhill said. "In recent seasons we’ve been able to make some competitive totals with the bat but have struggled to take key wickets and really break a game open.

"We’ve made some changes for this season which I hope will start to make that difference at key points in matches.

"I’m delighted Meg has agreed to return to the captaincy, and I’d like thank Elyse for her leadership over the last 12 months – she has done a fantastic job."

Departing the club are South Africa’s Lizelle Lee, who has signed with the Renegades, while former Australia leg-spinner Kristen Beams has retired.

Nicola Hancock has signed with Brisbane Heat, Angela Reakes has moved to the Sixers, while spinner Madeline Penna, brought into the group as an injury replacement last season, has signed with the Adelaide Strikers.

Emma Inglis and New Zealand’s Katey Martin were not re-contracted.

The Stars are the fifth club to lock in their full list, with the contracting window to close this Friday.

The 59-game WBBL season will be played entirely in a Sydney hub from Sunday, October 25, with further details around the schedule and venues expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Melbourne Stars squad: Meg Lanning (c), Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver, Elyse Villani, Mignon du Preez, Annabel Sutherland, Lucy Cripps, Bhavi Devchand, Alana King, Holly Ferling, Erin Osborne, Tess Flintoff, Georgia Gall, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum.