Melbourne Stars have named Marcus Stoinis as their new captain ahead of the 14th season of the Big Bash League (BBL). Stoinis will replace Glenn Maxwell who resigned from the role last year after leading Stars in multiple editions.
The fast-bowling allrounder led Stars once in the previous season in the absence of Maxwell. Stoinis had come very close to leading Stars during the 2022-23 season of the Big Bash League when Maxwell was ruled out due to his broken leg but the team management picked Adam Zampa over him.
The decision to appoint Stoinis as the skipper of Stars seems to be a sensible one as he signed a three-year contract with them at the end of the last season and therefore will remain available till the 2026-27 season.
"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," Stoinis said in a press release shared by Stars.
"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."
Stars General Manager Blair Crouch expressed gratitude to Maxwell for leading the team for five seasons and expected him to continue to deliver as a player in the forthcoming editions.
"First of all, I want to acknowledge and thank Glenn Maxwell for all his efforts in leading the side over the past five seasons and he will continue to be a wonderful resource for everyone at the club," Crouch said.
"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."
