Hinkley signs with Scorchers to complete move west

Mikayla Hinkley has made her shift west complete, signing with Perth Scorchers for the upcoming WBBL season.

Hinkley had spent the last five seasons with the Brisbane Heat, but said she was eager to take her game to a new level after penning a two-year deal with Perth, who she previously played for in the 2017-18 summer.

She is the first confirmed signing for the Scorchers, who finished second on the table at the end of the regular season in WBBL|09 before being knocked out of The Challenger by the Heat.

The 26-year-old had limited time in the middle in a strong Heat XI that finished runners-up to Adelaide Strikers.

The middle-order batter played in 12 of 17 matches but was pushed down the order to No.8 or 9.

It's that versatility that made her attractive to the Scorchers, said head coach Becky Grundy. 

"She is a highly talented player who has a skillset well suited to the needs of our squad, so when the opportunity to sign her became available, we jumped at the chance," Grundy said. 

"We believe her versatility, experience and leadership will be really valuable to our squad, and we can't wait to get her around the group."

Her move to the Scorchers comes after Hinkley made the call several months ago to leave Queensland and take up a state contract with Western Australia.

Contracted for WBBL|10: Chloe Ainsworth, Stella Campbell, Piepa Cleary, Maddy Darke, Mikayla Hinkley, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Chloe Piparo

 

Ins: Mikayla Hinkley (Heat). Outs: TBC

 

Local players off contract: Amy Edgar, Beth Mooney, Charis Bekker, Lisa Griffith, Taneale Peschel, Zoe Britcliffe (local replacement player)

 

WBBL|09 overseas players: Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Amy Jones, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Lauren Winfield-Hill (all England)

 

WBBL|10 Draft picks: 8, 16, 17, 32

Hinkley previously spent one season with the Scorchers in WBBL|03, after playing for Sydney Thunder in the first two editions of the WBBL, while she also spent one season with Hobart Hurricanes before shifting to the Heat.

The 26-year-old, who was born in Penrith, is a proud Indigenous woman of the Kunja people and during her time with Queensland and the Heat, she helped the Heat's First Nations jersey and assisted Queensland Cricket in developing the organisation's Reconciliation Action Plan.

"I am really excited to be returning to the Scorchers. The club is brilliantly run, has a wonderful team culture and I'm looking forward to being part of it," Hinkley said in a statement.

"Perth has plenty of talent on their list, who I am excited to learn from, and I know that being in this environment will give me a great opportunity to take my game to the next level.

"I have a lot of confidence that this group can have sustained success, and I think my versatile skillset will allow me to have an immediate impact in helping drive this team towards winning another WBBL title.

"The WACA Ground is such an iconic venue and one I have always enjoyed playing at, so I cannot wait."

The Scorchers revealed on Sunday that they would play on the opening night of WBBL|10, when they host Melbourne Stars at the WACA Ground on Sunday, October 27.

That game is expected to be the third in a blockbuster triple header to kickstart the season, with the first ball at the WACA Ground to be bowled at 5.30pm AWST (8.30pm AEDT).

The full WBBL|10 schedule will be announced this week.

Hinkley is the fourth confirmed departure from the Heat, who have also lost New Zealand superstar Amelia Kerr to Sydney Sixers and young gun Georgia Voll to Sydney Thunder, while South Africa’s Mignon du Preez is expecting twins and will be unavailable this season.

Contracted for WBBL|10: Nadine de Klerk (South Africa), Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Georgia Redmayne

 

Ins: Nadine de Klerk. 

 

Outs: Georgia Voll (Thunder), Amelia Kerr (Sixers), Mikayla Hinkley (Scorchers), Mignon du Preez 

 

Local players off contract: Lucy Hamilton, Grace Parsons, Courtney Sippel, Bonnie Berry (local replacement player)

 

WBBL|09 overseas players: Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Sarah Glenn (England), Bess Heath (England), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)

 

WBBL|10 Draft picks: 7, 15, 18, 31

But the club have locked away Australia T20 star Grace Harris on a new two-year deal, while the core of their local talent was already signed on for WBBL|10.

The Heat have also secured Proteas allrounder Nadine de Klerk on a two-year contract, under the league’s new provision that allows each club to sign one overseas player ahead of the draft.

Players remaining off contract for the Heat include Australia A representatives Courtney Sippel and Grace Parsons, and Australia Under-19 quick Lucy Hamilton.