King's gambit: Scorchers poach leggie, re-sign Devine

Alana King reckons her new Perth Scorchers teammates believe she "owes them one", as she sets her sights on WBBL glory with the Big Bash club.

King has departed the Melbourne Stars after six seasons in green, penning a two-year deal with the Scorchers, while their superstar captain Sophie Devine has signed a new one-year contract.

New Zealand’s Devine, the WBBL|06 player of the tournament, will reprise her dominant opening partnership with Beth Mooney, while King’s leg-spin adds to an already enviable Perth line-up, who are hunting a maiden WBBL title after back-to-back semi-final appearances.

It was King who dashed Perth’s hopes of reaching the decider in WBBL|06, named player of the match after she captured season-best figures of 3-16 in a semi-final at North Sydney Oval.

Her stunning spell saw her rip through the Scorchers top-order, removing openers Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine and first drop Amy Jones.

This season, the Scorchers will be pleased to have King on their side, filling the gap left by star England spinner Sarah Glenn.

And after riding the highs and lows with the Stars for six seasons and falling at the final hurdle in last year’s decider against the Sydney Thunder, King has her sights set on claiming a long-coveted piece of silverware.

"There’s a running joke now with some of the WA people that I owe them one after what happened in the semi-final last year," a laughing King told cricket.com.au.

"Last year gave me a good taste of what it’s like to be in the final and I’m sure all the girls at the Scorchers will be hungry to get past the semi-final and into the final.

"The main goal will be lifting that trophy at the end of the year."

King’s Big Bash shift follows her decision to leave her native Victoria and take up a state contract with Western Australia in 2020.

She hopes to build on a standout WBBL|06 campaign, which saw her named in the official Team of the Tournament after taking 16 wickets and maintaining an economy rate of six, while she showed off her pinch-hitting ability in several handy lower-order cameos; facing just 27 balls for the season she hit 62 runs, including six sixes.

King cited the chance to base herself entirely in the west as one reason for her decision to leave the Stars, while the chance to work with Scorchers coach (and Australia spin mentor) Shelley Nitschke was another major drawcard.

"I’ve worked with her before and I got a lot out of it," she said.

"Playing with Sophie (Devine) and Moons (Beth Mooney), two very good international players (was another factor), it was also just time for a change.

"Being based in Perth for both WNCL and WBBL makes me a lot more settled … I’m very excited for this new chapter, it all happened pretty quickly once the ball started rolling."

The Scorchers have already confirmed the signings of overseas stars Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) and Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) for the upcoming season, rounding out their three-player overseas cohort alongside New Zealander Devine.

Chloe Piparo, Mathilda Carmichael and Sam Betts have all signed new two-year deals.

"Last season we saw first-hand the influence Alana can have on a match, her wrist spin can change a game while her power with the bat can swing momentum at the end of an innings too," Perth Scorchers coach Shelley Nitschke said.

"Sophie has been the best player in the competition over the past two seasons, we are delighted with her decision to commit to the Scorchers this season.

"A match-winner with both the bat and the ball, Sophie will continue to have a strong influence on our squad on and off the field.

"We’re really pleased with how our squad is shaping up ahead of the season, there’s an enthusiasm and a hunger to build on the momentum we created last year."

The Scorchers have four spots left to fill on their list for WBBL|07.

Off-contract players from their WBBL|06 squad include Nicole Bolton, Georgia Whyllie, Megan Banting and Jemma Barsby, while Emma King has retired.

Perth Scorchers contract list so far: Sophie Devine (c)(NZ), Beth Mooney, Marizanne Kapp (SA), Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Samantha Betts, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Heather Graham, Alana King, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo.