The Melbourne Stars have named a 13-player squad for their WBBL|12 season opener on Thursday night.
Led by new captain Meg Lanning, the Stars will make history when they face the Hobart Hurricanes in the first Big Bash game under the Junction Oval lights, with a special light show set to feature during the innings break of the match.
There will be some fresh faces in green when the first ball is bowled, with four of the 13 players in the squad signing with the Stars for the first time this season: Tia Davidge, Charlie Dean, Carly Leeson and Naomi Stalenberg.
Dean is joining her English teammates Dani Gibson and Amy Jones at the Stars, bringing 58 games of T20 International experience to Melbourne for what will be her WBBL debut.
Richard Pyrah is another new addition for the Stars in WBBL|12, set to coach his first Big Bash game on Thursday night.
The Stars’ match, which gets underway at 7:10pm (AEDT), is the second of a double header at the venue, where the Melbourne Renegades host the Sydney Thunder from 3:40pm (AEDT) to launch the WBBL season.
Melbourne Stars’ squad vs Hobart Hurricanes
Meg Lanning (c)
Tia Davidge
Sophie Day
Charlie Dean
Kim Garth
Dani Gibson
Maisy Gibson
Amy Jones
Carly Leeson
Rhys McKenna
Georgia Prestwidge
Naomi Stalenberg
Annabel Sutherland