Melbourne Renegades have announced the 25-year-old all-rounder Will Sutherland as their new skipper ahead of the 2024-25 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). With Nic Maddinson, who was named Aaron Finch's successor at the club, moving to Sydney Thunder ahead of BBL 14, Sutherland was next in line to lead the franchise entering his seventh season with the club after having joined them as a teenager back in 2018/19.
"I'm really excited, we've got a really good squad in and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together as a group," Sutherland said in a Renegades release.
Sutherland did lead the Renegades last year in a few games with Maddinson missing out on a few matches, and has led his state side Victoria but a full season in such a high-pressure tournament with the franchise not doing well of late in the BBL will be a challenge for the young lad.
"I got a bit of a taste of captaincy last season. I'm developing and learning a lot all the time, playing alongside a lot of experienced guys at state and Big Bash level helps.
"It'll be great having Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa out there for me to lean on," Renegades' new captain added.
Sutherland will have a few seniors in Richardson, Zampa and English import Laurie Evans to lean on. As Sutherland mentioned, Renegades have done quite a few quality recruitments in the off-season including England all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who has been impressive in his first few appearances in international cricket and trading Josh Brown from Brisbane Heat and Gurinder Sandhu from Thunder and would be hoping for a much better season this time around.
“Will has been an integral part of our team, he's a much-loved figure at our club and highly respected within our organisation. This opportunity is a reflection of his hard work and the respect he commands both on and off the field, and we're excited to see him drive this group forward," said Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten.
The Renegades begin their BBL 14 campaign against the Sydney Sixers on December 16 at the SCG.
Melbourne Renegades squad for BBL 14: Will Sutherland (c), Jacob Bethell, Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Laurie Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Fergus O'Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Tim Seifert (wk), Jon Wells, Adam Zampa
