The 2021–22 Melbourne Renegades Women's season was the seventh in the team's history. Coached by Simon Helmot and captained by Sophie Molineux, the Renegades were not scheduled to play any WBBL07 games in their home state of Victoria due to ongoing border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They nevertheless finished the regular season in second position—their best performance across the WBBL's first seven editions—catapulted by a standout campaign from Indian marquee Harmanpreet Kaur, who was named Player of the Tournament.
In the Challenger, played at Adelaide Oval on 25 November 2021 for a spot in the championship final, the Renegades suffered a nine-wicket defeat against the Adelaide Strikers and were eliminated from the tournament.
Squad Each 2021–22 squad is made up of 15 active players. Teams could sign up to five 'marquee players', with a maximum of three of those from overseas. Marquees are classed as any overseas player, or a local player who holds a Cricket Australia national contract at the start of the WBBL|07 signing period.
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
New Zealand marquees Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu did not re-sign with the Renegades, opting to sit out the tournament. South African marquee Lizelle Lee departed the Renegades, initially signing with the Hobart Hurricanes. English marquee Evelyn Jones and Indian marquee Jemimah Rodrigues signed with the Renegades, marking their first appearances in the league. Indian marquee Harmanpreet Kaur returned to the league and signed with the Renegades, having previously played for the Sydney Thunder. Molly Strano departed the Renegades, signing with the Hobart Hurricanes. Holly Ferling signed with the Renegades, departing the Melbourne Stars. Maitlan Brown departed the Renegades, signing with the Sydney Sixers. Ellie Falconer signed with the Renegades, departing the Adelaide Strikers. Rhiann O'Donnell returned to the Renegades, having been a member of the team in WBBL|03 before playing for the Hobart Hurricanes in WBBL|04. Sophie Molineux was appointed captain, replacing Amy Satterthwaite (17–23 win–loss record). Simon Helmot was appointed head coach, replacing Lachlan Stevens.
Squad details during the season included: Georgia Wareham sustained a left knee injury while fielding in a match on 20 October, ruling her out for the remainder of the season.
The table below lists the Renegades players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.
NameDate of birthBatting styleBowling styleNotesBatters27Jess Duffin27 June 1989Right-handedRight-arm leg spin1316099.37––6–8Evelyn Jones8 August 1992Left-handedLeft-arm medium1223699.57012.000–Overseas marquee50Jemimah Rodrigues5 September 2000Right-handedRight-arm off spin13333116.43012.003–Overseas marqueeAll-rounders25Makinley Blows12 December 1997Left-handedRight-arm medium1––––0–7Harmanpreet Kaur8 March 1989Right-handedRight-arm off spin13406130.96157.458–Overseas marquee11Courtney Webb30 November 1999Right-handedRight-arm medium10144100.0097.541–Wicket-keeper3Josie Dooley21 January 2000Right-handed–13110108.91––74Bowlers5Ellie Falconer3 August 1999Right-handedRight-arm medium fast1234147.82108.882–9Holly Ferling22 December 1995Right-handedRight-arm medium1213118.18010.465–24Poppy Gardner5 January 2005Right-handedLeft-arm medium–––––––12Ella Hayward8 September 2003Right-handedRight-arm off spin112678.7856.685–74Carly Leeson9 November 1998Right-handedRight-arm medium1157111.7648.211–23Sophie Molineux17 January 1998Left-handedLeft-arm orthodox1377106.94105.854–Captain, Australian marquee26Rhiann O'Donnell14 April 1998Right-handedRight-arm medium fast73073.1767.200–32Georgia Wareham26 May 1999Right-handedRight-arm leg spin218105.8833.712–Australian marquee
Ladder
Fixtures
All times are local
Regular season
Challenger
Statistics and awards
Most runs: Harmanpreet Kaur – 406 (8th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Harmanpreet Kaur – 81* (55) vs Sydney Thunder, 17 November 2021 Most wickets: Harmanpreet Kaur – 15 (equal 9th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Ellie Falconer – 4/29 (4 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 6 November 2021 Most catches (fielder): Harmanpreet Kaur – 8 (equal 5th in the league) Player of the Match awards: Harmanpreet Kaur – 3 Jess Duffin, Sophie Molineux, Jemimah Rodrigues, Georgia Wareham – 1 each WBBL|07 Player of the Tournament: Harmanpreet Kaur (1st) WBBL|07 Team of the Tournament: Harmanpreet Kaur, Simon Helmot (coach) Renegades Player of the Season: Harmanpreet Kaur
References