Melbourne Stars

The Melbourne Stars are an Australian men's professional Twenty20 (T20) franchise cricket team that competed in Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the Stars wore a green uniform and played their home matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). They are the only team not to have won a Big Bash League title despite making three appearances in the finals.

On 2 June 2026, it was reported that the brands of the Stars and the Melbourne Renegades would be merged into a new franchise, utilising the Stars' existing BBL license. Nick Cummins, the CEO of Cricket Victoria (CV), has described the new team as "just a merger of brands and staff" and "not a merger of the teams". Two weeks later, it was confirmed that both the Stars and the Renegades would compete in the upcoming 2026–27 season under their existing names.

Mascots Starman & Starlet are two of the official mascots of the Melbourne Stars. In BBL|05 the Stars introduced a secondary mascot, Steven Seagull, the year after a seagull was struck with a cricket ball hit by Perth Scorchers batsman Adam Voges during a match between Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers in BBL|04 while the Stars were fielding at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Rob Quiney, who was the first to the scene, immediately signalled that he feared the worst for the stricken bird as it lay motionless on the ground, before he delicately carried it over the boundary rope and placed it back on the turf. But just minutes later, the bird came back to life and started the walk along the boundary line, much to the delight of the huge MCG crowd.

Rivalries

When the league began in 2011, Cricket Australia decided they would place two teams in Melbourne. With the core group of players for both teams coming from the Victoria cricket team, this rivalry automatically became widely anticipated in Melbourne. The derby between the new two teams, the Stars and the Melbourne Renegades, quickly became hugely popular with big crowds flocking in to the derby matches at both the MCG and Docklands Stadium. In BBL05, during the first leg of the two derbies at the MCG, it drew a record crowd of 80,883 which is the highest crowd for any domestic cricket match ever in the history of the sport.

+ List of Melbourne Derby matchesDateWinnerMarginVenueAttendancePlayer of the match7 January 2012Stars11 runs (D/L)Scorecard, CricInfo.MCG40,227David Hussey7 December 2012Renegades8 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium23,589Aaron Finch6 January 2013Renegades9 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG46,581Aaron Finch20 December 2013Stars76 runsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG25,266Luke Wright4 January 2014Stars9 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium42,837Cameron White3 January 2015Stars112 runsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium33,734Michael Beer10 January 2015Stars3 wicketsMCG37,323Glenn Maxwell2 January 2016Stars7 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG80,883Luke Wright9 January 2016Stars8 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium43,176Marcus Stoinis1 January 2017Renegades7 runs (D/L)Scorecard, CricInfo.MCG71,162Brad Hogg7 January 2017Stars46 runsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium44,189Adam Zampa6 January 2018Renegades6 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG48,086Mohammad Nabi12 January 2018Stars23 runsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium44,316Kevin Pietersen1 January 2019Stars7 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG46,418Marcus Stoinis19 January 2019Stars6 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium38,117Marcus Stoinis17 February 2019Renegades13 runsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium40,816Daniel Christian4 January 2020Stars7 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG54,478Adam Zampa10 January 2020Stars7 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo. Docklands Stadium30,388Glenn Maxwell17 January 2021Stars6 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo. MCG14,979Liam Hatcher20 January 2021Renegades5 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo. Docklands Stadium14,202Mackenzie Harvey3 January 2022Renegades5 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo. MCG21,562Kane Richardson13 January 2022Stars6 wicketsScorecard, CricInfo. Docklands Stadium10,014Glenn Maxwell3 January 2023Renegades33 runsScorecard, CricInfo.MCG38,564Tom Rogers14 January 2023Renegades6 runsScorecard, CricInfo.Docklands Stadium22,437Kane Richardson2 January 2024Stars8 wicketsMCG27,024Glenn Maxwell13 January 2024Renegades6 wicketsDocklands Stadium41,205Shaun Marsh 5 January 2025Stars5 wicketsDocklands Stadium40,636Ben Duckett 12 January 2025Stars42 runsMCG38,031Glenn Maxwell 4 January 2026Renegades4 runsMCG68,124Josh Brown 10 January 2026Stars8 wickets runsDocklands Stadium42,846Marcus Stoinis

Season summaries

SeasonFinalsCoachCaptainMost RunsMost WicketsRefs2011–124–34thSFGreg ShipperdCameron WhiteDavid Hussey and Rob Quiney – 243 – 2012–135–33rdSFGreg ShipperdShane WarneBrad Hodge – 342Lasith Malinga – 13 – 8–0*1st*SFGreg ShipperdLuke Wright – 288Jackson Bird and John Hastings – 13 – 2014–155–33rdSFGreg ShipperdCameron WhiteKevin Pietersen – 293John Hastings – 16* – 2015–165–32ndRUDavid HusseyKevin Pietersen – 323Adam Zampa – 12Kevin Pietersen2016–174–44thSFStephen FlemingDavid HusseyKevin Pietersen – 268Scott Boland – 14Luke Wright2017–182–88thDNQStephen FlemingJohn HastingsGlenn Maxwell – 299John Hastings – 10Glenn Maxwell2018–197–74thRUStephen FlemingGlenn MaxwellMarcus Stoinis – 533Dwayne Bravo – 15Marcus Stoinis2019–201st*RUDavid HusseyGlenn MaxwellHaris Rauf and Adam Zampa – 20Marcus Stoinis*2020–215–87thDNQDavid HusseyGlenn MaxwellMarcus Stoinis – 396Adam Zampa – 19 – 2021–227–76thDNQDavid HusseyGlenn MaxwellGlenn Maxwell – 468Brody Couch – 16Joe Clarke2022–233–118thDNQDavid HusseyAdam ZampaJoe Clarke – 381Luke Wood – 20Joe Clarke2023–244–66thDNQPeter MooresGlenn MaxwellBeau Webster – 262Glenn Maxwell – 7Hilton Cartwright and Glenn Maxwell2024–255–54thKFPeter MooresMarcus StoinisGlenn Maxwell – 325Mark Steketee – 15Glenn Maxwell*2025–266–44thKFPeter MooresMarcus StoinisSam Harper – 381Haris Rauf – 20*Sam Harper*

Legend DNQ Did not qualify SF Semi-finalists * Led the league EF Lost the Eliminator RU Runners-up ^ League record KF Lost the Knockout CF Lost the Challenger C Champions Season results Season 2011–12 7 4 3 0 8 +0.254 4th Semi-finals 2012–13 8 5 3 0 10 +0.246 3rd Semi-finals 2013–14 8 8 0 0 16 +2.189 1st Semi-finals 2014–15 8 5 3 0 10 +0.336 4th Semi-finals 2015–16 8 5 3 0 10 +0.366 2nd Runners-up 2016–17 8 4 4 0 8 +0.397 4th Semi-finals 2017–18 10 2 8 0 8 −0.926 8th — 2018–19 14 7 7 0 14 −0.062 4th Runners-up 2019–20 14 10 4 0 20 +0.526 1st Runners-Up 2020–21 14 5 8 1 24 0.140 7th — 2021–22 14 7 7 0 26 -0.222 6th — 2022–23 14 3 11 0 6 -0.287 8th — 2023-24 10 4 6 0 8 -1.051 6th — 2024-25 10 5 5 0 10 0.135 4th Knockout Final 2025-26 10 6 4 0 12 0.759 4th Knockout Final

Captains

There have been 11 captains in the Stars' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.

CaptainSpanWonLostTiedCameron White2011–15271890066.67Shane Warne2012–136330050James Faulkner2013101000Brad Hodge201411000100David Hussey2015–17191090052.63John Hastings2017–1810280020Glenn Maxwell2018–246534300153.13Nic Maddinson2019303000Peter Handscomb2020101000Adam Zampa2022–23154110026.67Marcus Stoinis2023–2623111210047.83

Home grounds VenueGames hosted by season01 02 03 04 05 06 070809101112131415 TotalCitiPower Centre 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1Lavington Sports Ground 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1Corroboree Group Oval Manuka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2Melbourne Cricket Ground 4 4 5 4 6 4 5 5 7 4 6 7 4 4 4 65People First Stadium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2Ted Summerton Reserve 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Current squad The squad of the Melbourne Stars for the 2026–27 Big Bash League season as of 14 September 2026. Players with international caps are listed in bold.

NameBirth DateBatting StyleBowling StyleAdditional Info. Batters32Finn AllenRight-handed Right-arm off spinInternational Signing35Hilton CartwrightRight-handedRight-arm medium37Campbell KellawayLeft-handedLeft-arm orthodox 3Tom RogersLeft-handedRight-arm leg spin All-rounders32Glenn MaxwellRight-handedRight-arm off spin7Craig OvertonRight-handedRight-arm medium-fastInternational Signing88Jamie OvertonRight-handedRight-arm fastInternational Signing16Marcus StoinisRight-handedRight-arm fastCaptain Wicket-keepers6Sam HarperRight-handed Pace bowlers41Austin Anlezark Left-handed Right-arm medium7Liam HatcherRight-handedRight-arm fast64Peter SiddleRight-handedRight-arm fast4Mitch SwepsonRight-handedRight-arm leg spin

Players Australian representatives The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Stars after making their debut in the national men's team (the period they spent as both a Stars squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):

Overseas marquees

Source:

Honours Champions: 0 Runners Up: 3 – BBL 05, BBL 08, BBL 09 Minor Premiers: 2 – BBL 03, BBL 09 Finals Series Appearances: 10 – BBL 01, BBL 02, BBL 03, BBL 04, BBL 05, BBL 06, BBL 08, BBL 09, BBL 14, BBL 15 Wooden Spoons: 2 – BBL 07, BBL 12

Statistics and awards

Team stats Win–loss record: OppositionWonLostTiedAdelaide Strikers211290057.14Brisbane Heat228140036.36Hobart Hurricanes241590062.5Melbourne Renegades3019110063.33Perth Scorchers258160133.33Sydney Sixers2610160038.46Sydney Thunder2311120047.83Total17183870148.82 Highest score in an innings: 2/273 (20 overs) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 19 January 2022 Highest successful chase: 3/211 (19 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 21 November 2021 Lowest successful defence: 8/134 (20 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 31 December 2023 Largest victory: Batting first: 112 runs vs Melbourne Renegades, 3 January 2015 Batting second: 75 balls remaining vs Adelaide Strikers, 9 January 2014 Longest winning streak: 8 matches (20 December 2013 – 27 January 2014 & 30 December 2019 – 18 January 2020) Longest losing streak: 8 matches (17 January 2017 – 9 January 2018 & 6 January – 28 December 2024)

Source:

Individual stats Most runs: Marcus Stoinis – 3,240 Highest score in an innings: Glenn Maxwell – 154 (64) vs Hobart Hurricanes, 19 January 2022 Highest partnership: Hilton Cartwright and Marcus Stoinis – 207 vs Sydney Sixers, 12 January 2020 Most wickets: Adam Zampa – 98 Best bowling figures in an innings: Lasith Malinga – 6/7 (4 overs) vs Perth Scorchers, 12 December 2012 Hat-tricks taken: Haris Rauf vs Sydney Thunder, 8 January 2020 Most catches (fielder): Glenn Maxwell – 94 Most dismissals (wicket-keeper): Peter Handscomb – 42 (31 catches, 11 stumpings)

Source:

Individual awards Player of the Match: Glenn Maxwell – 17 Marcus Stoinis – 12 Luke Wright – 5 Kevin Pietersen – 4 Joe Clarke, Nick Larkin, Haris Rauf, and Adam Zampa – 3 Michael Beer, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Tom Curran, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Clint McKay, and Rob Quiney – 2 Hilton Cartwright, Jackson Coleman, Ben Duckett, Ben Dunk, Andre Fletcher, John Hastings, David Hussey, Lasith Malinga, Andre Russell, Cameron White, and Daniel Worrall – 1 BBL Player of the Tournament: David Hussey – BBL01 Marcus Stoinis – BBL09 Glenn Maxwell – BBL14 BBL Team of the Tournament: Glenn Maxwell (5) – BBL07, BBL08, BBL09, BBL10, BBL14 Marcus Stoinis (5) – BBL|08, BBL|09, BBL|10, BBL|14, BBL15 Luke Wright – BBL05 Haris Rauf – BBL|09, BBL|15 Adam Zampa – BBL|10 Joe Clarke – BBL11 Tom Curran – BBL|15 Sam Harper – BBL|15 Peter Siddle – BBL|15

Melbourne Stars

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