Adam Zampa named Melbourne Stars captain, Jason Sangha to lead Sydney Thunder

Zampa replaces Glenn Maxwell following his broken leg, while Sangah succeeds Usman Khawaja after his move to Brisbane Heat

Adam Zampa and Jason Sangha have been installed as captains of Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder, respectively, ahead of the men's Big Bash League.

Legspinner Zampa takes on the role with Glenn Maxwell expected to miss most of the summer with a broken leg.

The Australia international led Stars once last term when much of the squad was laid low with Covid-19, helping to secure a five-wicket win at the MCG.

"It's an honour to lead the Melbourne Stars in Glenn's absence and I look forward to helping get the best out of this group," said Zampa, whose deputy will be Marcus Stoinis.

"Our Stars journey won't be complete without a BBL title and we're throwing everything into this season to achieve that.

^{Zampa replaces Maxwell, who suffered a broken leg in a freak accident last month (Mike Owen/Getty Images)}

"I'm so excited to be playing alongside Trent Boult and Luke Wood for the first time along with Joe Clarke again this year. 

"With the help of Marcus as vice-captain, I can't wait to lead this group.

Stars general manager Blair Crouch added: "Obviously Glenn is a huge loss for us but to have someone of Adam's calibre to be able to step in is a testament to the strength of our squad." 

Meanwhile, Sangha is the successor to Usman Khawaja who moved to Brisbane Heat during the off-season.

The 23-year-old led Thunder three times during 2021/22, winning once. The appointment comes amid confirmation David Warne will not pursue overturning his ban from leadership positions.

^{Sangha won one of his three games at the helm last season (Mike Owen/Getty Images)}

"This means a lot," he said. "I have been fortunate to have played under some tremendous leaders at Sydney Thunder, starting with Shane Watson.

"There have also been other quality skippers including Callum Ferguson, Usman Khawaja, and Chris Green. 

"Each of them had positive impacts on the team, and something they all did well was they led by their actions - and that’s something I want to do."

Zampa and Sangha will go head-to-head on the opening day of BBL 12 on December 13 when Thunder welcome Stars to Manuka Oval.