Tammy Beaumont has returned to the Renegades, while Georgia Adams has joined the Strikers
English imports join Renegades, Strikers for WBBL|09
Melbourne Renegades have rounded out their overseas signings for Weber WBBL with the addition of star opener Tammy Beaumont, while fellow Englishwoman Georgia Adams has signed with Adelaide Strikers.
Beaumont will return to the Renegades after several seasons at Sydney Thunder, having formed an agreement with the Melbourne club outside the WBBL Draft under the direct nomination rule.
The right-hander led Welsh Fire in The Hundred last month and was the competition’s second-highest run-scorer, with 290 runs at a strike rate above 150 – including a top score of 118 off just 61 deliveries.
The 32-year-old, who last played for the Renegades in WBBL|05, joins West Indies captain Hayley Matthews and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur as the Renegades’ international signings.
The freshly introduced ‘direct nomination’ mechanism allowed players to opt out of the inaugural draft and instead negotiate directly with a club.
The caveat is that players who sign through direct nomination have their salaries capped at $61,750, some way short of the 'platinum' level salary from the draft, which sits at $110,000.
"I’m excited to be returning to the Big Bash this summer and to be back in red with the Renegades ... there’s some familiar faces still at the club who I’m looking forward to playing alongside again," Beaumont said.
"It looks like a strong squad on paper, and with the additions of Hayley and Harmanpreet at the Draft, hopefully we can be there at the business end of the season."
The Strikers, who drafted South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and England’s Dani Gibson earlier this month, have completed their overseas signings with the addition of allrounder Adams.
Adams had not formed a direct nomination agreement with the Strikers but has found a home with the reigning champions after being overlooked in the draft.
Adams, who also holds a domestic one-day contract with NSW, captained the Southern Vipers in England's domestic 50-over competition and took the most wickets in the 2023 women's Hundred, representing champions Southern Brave.
She will be reunited with Strikers coach and Brave assistant Luke Williams at Adelaide.
The addition of the English pair means just one international berth remains for WBBL|09, with Sydney Sixers – who have been linked to direct nominee Suzie Bates – the only club yet to confirm their third and final overseas spot.
Clubs can also sign replacement overseas players from the pool of draft nominees, to cover players who are unavailable for reasons including injuries and international commitments.
Renegades WBBL|09 squad (so far): Sophie Molineux (c), Tammy Beaumont (England), Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Jess Duffin, Ella Hayward, Ellie Falconer, Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Georgia Prestwidge, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb
Adelaide Strikers WBBL|09 squad (so far): Georgia Adams (England), Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Dani Gibson (England), Katie Mack, Tahlia McGrath, Anesu Mushangwe, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson, Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)