Marcus Stoinis Commits to Melbourne Stars for 3 Seasons

Marcus Stoinis currently plays with the Melbourne Stars through the end of the 2026–2027 BBL season.

(Cricket News) The Melbourne Stars had an unsatisfactory season in the just concluded Big Bash League (BBL), finishing sixth in the points table with four wins and six losses from their ten games played.

This is the fourth season in a row that the Stars have failed to advance past the league stage, and captain Glenn Maxwell resigned following their final league game. The Stars, who have made 98 appearances and contributed with both bat and ball, have extended Marcus Stoinis’ contract, which will keep him with the team until the end of the BBL 16 in 2026–2027.

The 34-year-old is second in Melbourne’s run-getting rankings and is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the team’s history. The Stars will look to turn their fortunes around in the upcoming season.

Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said in a statement issued by the team, “Marcus is obviously one of the most experienced and well-performed T20 players in Australia over the last decade and for him to commit for another three seasons is a great demonstration of the faith he has in where we are headed.”

“In addition to what Marcus brings on the field, he, along with the other senior players, will play a huge role over the next few years in developing the next generation at the Stars.
He is one of the most in-demand T20 players in the world, and as we saw on New Year’s Eve again this year, when he was at his destructive best,” Crouch continued.

When Stoinis’ contract expired, not many other BBL teams expressed interest in signing him. However, the Perth Scorchers were among the teams eager to sign the veteran, who is based in Perth and plays domestic cricket for Western Australia.

Prior to moving to Melbourne, he played three games for the Scorchers in the 2012–2013 BBL season. Stoinis will have the opportunity to become only the second player to represent Melbourne Stars in 100 BBL matches after Maxwell accomplished the feat the previous season.

The 34-year-old may be a candidate for the captaincy position next season. Stoinis, who was dropped from the ODI team, has opted to play more franchise cricket and is unlikely to secure a central contract with Cricket Australia the following season.

Nevertheless, he has been selected for Australia’s T20I squad for the three-match series against the West Indies that begins next month. Currently, Stoinis is playing for the Durban Super Giants in SA20 2024, where he has amassed 63 runs at a strike rate of 105 in four innings.