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Marcus Stoinis has been announced as the new captain of the Melbourne Stars for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) season. The 35-year-old all-rounder takes over from Glenn Maxwell, who stepped down from the role at the conclusion of last summer’s campaign.
Stoinis has captained the Stars once before, filling in for Maxwell during the previous season. Despite being considered for the interim captaincy during Maxwell’s absence in the 2022-23 BBL season, the leadership role was then assigned to Adam Zampa.
Stoinis, a long-serving player for the Stars, becomes only the second player after Maxwell to play 100 BBL matches for the franchise. He recently committed his future to the club by signing a three-year contract extension, which ensures he will remain with the Stars until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Stoinis Honored to Lead the Stars
Expressing his excitement about the captaincy, Stoinis said:
“I had a little bit of a taste of captaining the side in Maxi’s absence last year and loved the opportunity, so to be given the role full-time is a great honour.
“The Stars have been such a constant in my life every summer for the last 10 years, and I truly believe that the group we have assembled both on and off the field can bring some long-overdue success to the club.”
Acknowledging Maxwell’s Leadership
Stars General Manager Blair Crouch praised Maxwell for his contributions as captain over the last five seasons:
“First of all, I want to acknowledge and thank Glenn Maxwell for all his efforts in leading the side over the past five seasons. He will continue to be a wonderful resource for everyone at the club.
“Marcus demonstrated his leadership ability last year and has been a senior member of the side for a long time. It’s wonderful to have someone who has been at the Stars almost from our inception lead our club in BBL14.”
Challenges Ahead for Stoinis
Stoinis faces an early challenge as he leads a potentially depleted squad in the opening matches of the season. Glenn Maxwell is recovering from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to feature in the first game, while Scott Boland and Beau Webster will be with Australia’s Test squad. Overseas signings Ben Duckett and Osama Mir are also unavailable for the first three games of the season.
BBL Player Movements
- Melbourne Renegades have added Marcus Harris and Xavier Crone to complete their squad for the season.
- Brisbane Heat have signed all-rounder Jack Wildermuth for their final roster spot. However, the Heat will add three local replacement players in the coming week, with Michael Neser sidelined due to a hamstring injury and Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne unavailable until after the Australia-India Test series concludes on January 8.
As the BBL14 season approaches, all eyes will be on Stoinis to see how he navigates the challenges and leads the Melbourne Stars in their pursuit of success.
