Updated WBBL|03 squads for each club

With the WBBL03 opening weekend fast approaching, the eight Rebel WBBL clubs have begun unveiling their squads for the third edition of the Twenty20 competition.

In addition to a clean slate from which to build their squad, clubs now have more freedom when it comes to list management with the introduction of multi-year contracts.

The Big Bash contracting period commenced on August 4 and all WBBL lists will need to be finalised by Friday November 24, with 15 spots available on each squad including three overseas players.

Each club's playing roster can contain no more than five marquee players, inclusive of the overseas and Australian Women's Cricket Team players.

'Australian Players' are those who have represented the Southern Stars in at least 10 limited-overs matches in the three years prior to Cricket Australia announcing the national contract list on April 24. Scroll down for a full list of relevant players.

The League has this year set the salary cap for each club at $298,890 AUD.

Here's the latest on each club's playing list:

Image Id: 67E21234D7FA4FDFA52BA19F86B80289 Image Caption: Suzie Bates has signed with the Strikers // Getty

Adelaide Strikers

The Strikers have finalised their 15-player roster for WBBL|03 and the biggest news is the signing of former Perth Scorchers captain Suzie Bates. The star allrounder and current New Zealand captain joins her White Ferns teammate Sophie Devine in blue this summer. Devine, who smashed 103 from 48 balls in WBBL|02, will spend her third season at Adelaide Oval, while England opener Tammy Beaumont will again play for the Strikers. Australian seamer Megan Schutt and leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington have also re-signed.

"I have always loved visiting Adelaide, so I am looking forward to spending more time there while playing for the Strikers,” said Bates.

"The team has some very exciting players and I have obviously played a lot of cricket with Sophie Devine. I will enjoy playing alongside Megan Schutt and Amanda Wellington, instead of having to face up to them when we play Australia.

"We have a very good squad and I am very excited about the opportunity to play for Adelaide this season. I am looking forward to the fresh challenges WBBL|03 will involve and playing with a great bunch of girls.”

Adelaide have also signed former Sydney Sixer Rhiannon Dick, while South Australian teenagers Ellie Falconer and Annie O’Neil have earned their first WBBL contracts.

Current squad: Rhiannon Dick, Annie O’Neil, Ellie Falconer, Tammy Beaumont (Eng), Suzie Bates (NZ), Sophie Devine (NZ), Megan Schutt, Amanda Wellington, Samantha Betts, Tahlia McGrath, Katelyn Pope, Alex Price, Tabatha Saville, Tegan McPharlin, Bridget Patterson.

Ins: Suzie Bates (Scorchers), Rhiannon Dick (Sixers), Ellie Falconer, Annie O'Neill 

Outs: Sarah Coyte, Charlotte Edwards, Sarah Elliot, Shelley Nitschke (all retired)

Brisbane Heat

Brisbane Heat have secured the services of Australian duo Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen for the next three WBBL seasons. Mooney was the first confirmed signing from any club for WBBL|03, and the first female player to sign a multi-year Big Bash deal after the longer-term contracts were introduced for the WBBL as part of the new Memorandum of Understanding. Mooney was named WBBL|02 player of the tournament last summer after scoring 482 runs at an average of 43.81, including five half-centuries. The wicketkeeper-batter also snared 12 dismissals behind the stumps including 10 stumpings, before translating that form into a successful run with the bat at the top of the order for Australia.

Current squad: Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney

Ins: TBC

Outs: TBC

Hobart Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have yet to confirm any of their international signings for WBBL|03 but have been busy securing their local continent. Sasha Moloney and Celeste Raack are the latest to jump on board. Several departures have also been confirmed - former Australia seamer Julie Hunter has retired, while Erin Burns and New Zealand international Amy Satterthwaite have found new homes interstate. 

Last year, Hobart's contingent of marquee players comprised Hunter, Satterthwaite, England captain Heather Knight and rising West Indies star Hayley Matthews.

Current squad: Emma Thompson, Erin Fazackerley, Brooke Hepburn, Georgia Redmayne, Veronica Pyke, Katelyn Fryett, Celeste Raack, Sasha Moloney

Ins: TBC

Outs: Erin Burns (Sixers), Julie Hunter (retired), Amy Satterthwaite (Renegades)

Melbourne Renegades

The Renegades will have a new skipper in WBBL|03, with New Zealand international Amy Sattherwaite jumping ship from the Hurricanes. Sattherwaite has signed a three-year deal with the club, while the Renegades have also re-signed fellow Kiwi Lea Tahuhu, and enticed former Stars player Hayley Jensen to don the red.

The Renegades had already bolstered their batting line-up with the signature of former Australia batter Jess Duffin (nee Cameron), who has moved across from the Stars. Duffin will share her commitments between the Renegades and Collingwood Football Club and is hoping to make a major impact in WBBL|03 after undergoing shoulder surgery during the off-season.

Current squad: Amy Satterthwaite (C) (NZ), Molly Strano, Sophie Molineux, Jess Duffin, Lea Tahuhu (NZ), Hayley Jensen

Ins: Jess Duffin (Stars), Hayley Jensen (Stars), Amy Satterthwaite (Hurricanes)

Outs: TBC

Melbourne Stars

The Melbourne Stars will field a new-look team this summer. Gone are former captain Meg Lanning (Scorchers) and Duffin (Renegades), with the Stars appointing Australia leg-spinner Kristen Beams skipper for WBBL|03. The Stars have also confirmed three overseas signings, securing the services of South Africa batters Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee, alongside England allrounder Georgia Elwiss, Their contingent of internationals is rounded out by the signature of former Australia off-spinner Erin Osborne, who has moved south from the Sydney Thunder.

They have two spots remaining for local players. 

Current squad: Kristen Beams (c), Makinley Blows, Hayleigh Brennan, Mignon du Preez (SA), Georgia Elwiss (Eng), Nicole Faltum, Emma Kearney, Alana King, Anna Lanning, Lizelle Lee (SA), Katie Mack, Erin Osborne, Gemma Triscari

Ins: Mignon du Preez, Georgia Elwiss, Lizelle Lee, Erin Osborne (Thunder), Nicole Faltum

Outs: Jess Duffin (Renegades), Hayley Jenson (Renegades), Meg Lanning (Scorchers), Morna Neilsen, Natalie Sciver (Scorchers) 

=Image Id: 06056EA5F1E148D6A2C64A0875C5D037

Perth Scorchers

The Scorchers have signed two of England's biggest stars for WBBL|03, with pace spearhead Katherine Brunt re-signing while exciting allrounder Natalie Sciver has made the move across from the Melbourne Stars. 

While Suzie Bates has departed for the Strikers, Perth have an all-star international cast after pulling off the biggest coup in WBBL history, luring Australia captain Lanning for the next three seasons. Lanning’s deal with the Scorchers will see her in orange until the end of the 2019-20 season, and while the world’s best batter has already been ruled out of WBBL|03 due to the aforementioned shoulder surgery, the multi-year deal means Scorchers fans will have the chance to watch Lanning in action in WBBL|04 and WBBL|05.

Image Id: ACAAEA7C5A57446C950295E3D7CC0A25 Image Caption: Katherine Brunt (right) has re-signed // Getty

"Hopefully I can contribute batting, bowling and fielding and I can help get some wins on the board," Sciver said.

"Katherine says the squad is young, but really fun and a great group of girls, so I’m really looking playing with the Scorchers over this Australian summer."

The Scorchers have also signed Australian batters Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani to multi-year deals and given Lanning's injury, they'll be able to add a replacement international player before the season starts. They'v also re-signed the majority of their WBBL|02 squad, adding former Thunder player Mikayla Hinkley, with one spot remaining on their list.

Current squad: Nicole Bolton, Katherine Brunt (Eng), Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani, Megan Banting, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Lauren Ebsary, Heather Graham, Mikayla Hinkley, Emma King, Chloe Piparo, Natalie Sciver (Eng), Emily Smith.

Ins: Mikayla Hinkley (Thunder), Meg Lanning (Stars), Natalie Sciver (Stars)

Outs: Suzie Bates (Strikers)

Sydney Sixers

The Sydney Sixers have re-signed three Australian contracted players for WBBL|03, with Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Asheigh Gardner all back on board. The trio's re-signing comes after the reigning champions had already landed a major early blow on their local rivals, luring rising fast bowler Lauren Cheatle away from the Thunder. Cheatle was the first player to sign a multi-year WBBL deal with the Sixers, committing to the reigning champions until the end of WBBL|05.

The 18-year-old left-arm quick, who made her Australian debut in January 2016, is on the comeback trail after shoulder surgery ruled her out of the Women’s World Cup. The Sixers have also lured Erin Burns from Hobart Hurricanes.

Current squad: Erin Burns, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry

Ins: Erin Burns (Hurricanes), Lauren Cheatle (Thunder)

Outs: Rhiannon Dick (Strikers)

Sydney Thunder

Rachael Haynes has followed her appointment as stand-in Australian cricket captain by re-signing with the Sydney Thunder, alongside Aussie vice-captain - and Thunder skipper - Alex Blackwell.

Both Blackwell and Haynes, who will lead Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Women's Ashes in Meg Lanning's absence this summer, have signed two-year contract extensions.

“I really wanted to continue what we’ve started to build at Thunder,” said Alex Blackwell.

“I enjoy captaining this new team, there’s a lot of pride that goes into it. The core of the team will stay the same but we’ll get an injection of new and exciting talent and our list looks very strong.

“I’m very hungry to keep finding ways to get better. The WBBL has come along at a really great time for me. It’s a new and exciting competition and I’ve had to look at new ways to expand my game.

Current squad: Alex Blackwell (C), Hannah Darlington, Maisy Gibson, Rachael Haynes, Rachel Treneman, Hannah Trethewey

Ins: TBC

Outs: Stef Daffara, Mikayla Hinkley (Scorchers), Claire Koski, Erin Osborne (Stars)

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The players deemed to be 'Australian Players' under the League's guidelines are as follows: Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Rene Farrell, Holly Ferling, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.