The Cricketer's in-depth look at Stars ahead of the new campaign, including player analysis, strengths, weaknesses, and full squad and fixtures listings
Coach: David Hussey
For one final season, the Melbourne Stars legend will take the reins. Hussey, who scored 855 runs for the team in 48 matches as a player, represented Stars for the first six seasons of the Big Bash before retiring.
He replaced Stephen Fleming as head coach ahead of the 2019/20 campaign and Stars topped the table in his first season in charge before losing to Sydney Sixers in the final. However, he struggled to replicate that success, with the Stars finishing seventh in 2020/21 and sixth in 2021/22. He will leave following this season to take over as head of male cricket at Cricket Victoria.
Captain: Adam Zampa
A new captain for Hussey in his final throes as head coach. Zampa takes over from Glenn Maxwell, who broke his leg in November in a freak accident at a fiftieth birthday party. Maxwell and a friend tripped over one another while running on a backyard tennis court, with Maxwell's leg becoming trapped and fractured, ruling him out of a place on Australia's upcoming Test tour of India and preventing him from skippering Stars.
"He will continue to be a key part of the club during the start of the season as he works his way back to full fitness and we look forward to seeing him soon," confirmed Blair Crouch, Stars' general manager. For Zampa, this opportunity presents itself as a leadership audition of sorts, with Australia rotating Pat Cummins in and out of their ODI side to manage his workload and Aaron Finch likely to hand over the T20I captaincy in the near future.
Overseas stars
Trent Boult's first appearance in the Big Bash is one of the stories to look forward to over the next couple of months: the New Zealand left-armer has left his central contract to open up more room to do things like this, and he arrives with plenty of T20 pedigree behind him. He was part of the Blackcaps side that hammered Australia only a matter of weeks ago.
He has 204 T20 wickets in 176 matches for a variety of teams, including for five different IPL franchises. He isn't the only left-armer drafted in from abroad: England's Luke Wood is an intriguing signing on the back of his rise in the last 12 months. He made his international debut in September on the T20I tour of Pakistan and debuted in ODI cricket in the absurdly timed series against Australia just days after his teammates had won the T20 World Cup, for which he was a travelling reserve.
Wood is sharp, swings the new ball and is a useful lower-order hitter. His former county teammate, Joe Clarke, is Stars' third overseas recruit. The pair played together at Nottinghamshire before Wood moved north to Lancashire. Clarke scored 419 runs in 13 games last season.
Glenn Maxwell will miss the vast majority of this year's tournament with a broken leg (Mike Owen/Getty Images)
Changes from 2021
Impacted by Covid, Melbourne Stars went through 26 players in the last campaign, a remarkable number that spoke to the chaos of the summer.
Of those, plenty for various reasons – Maxwell, Andre Russell, Travis Dean, Peter Nevill, Charlie Wakim, Qais Ahmad, Haris Rauf, Justin Avendano, Sam Rainbird, Patrick Rowe, Xavier Crone, Syed Faridoun and Ahmed Daniyal – aren't due to return this time around.
Liam Hatcher is back in Stars' squad after missing last season's competition and Australia Under-19s batter Campbell Kellaway has signed a one-year deal, but otherwise – Zampa's captaincy apart – Melbourne are much the same as last year.
How did they do in 2021?
They won just five times in 14 games and had two games rearranged due to Covid outbreaks within the squad. Maxwell top-scored and made an unbeaten 154 off 64 deliveries – the highest individual score in a Big Bash match – as Stars made 273 for 2 against Hobart Hurricanes to record the highest total in the tournament's history.
They finished sixth in the end, a respectable result in the context of their misfortune. Brody Couch, the 23-year-old seamer, was Stars' leading wicket-taker with 16 – he was a rare constant in a difficult year.
Best finish: Runners-up (2015/16, 2018/19, 2019/20)
BATTING
Power hitters
Much of that will fall on Clarke in Maxwell's absence. Clarke, uncapped by England but sought after across the franchise circuit, averaged more than a six per game last season but struggled in The Hundred with Welsh Fire.
Hilton Cartwright has turned himself into a brutal hitter – he hit 22 sixes in 14 appearances his the most recent campaign – while Marcus Stoinis remains one of the world's best players in the format. He was only available for eight games last year but struck at 153.15 per 100 balls.
Anchor
Nick Larkin and Joe Burns are far better players than what they produced last year, but neither are quite as dynamic as Clarke or Stoinis. Larkin scored 88 runs in eight innings, 52 of which came in a single game; Burns averaged just 15.83 and never passed 25.
Beau Webster, who looked a wily signing, struggled similarly with 98 runs in 12 matches. Between the three of them, they make up a solid spine for any Big Bash team. If they can fire, with Stoinis, Clarke and Cartwright as big hitters, Stars will be well set.
Finisher
There are worse hitters of a cricket ball than Nathan Coulter-Nile, who might look a position high at No.7 but gives it a good whack. Webster might also fill that role. Stars' lower order – comprising Adam Zampa and Trent Boult – is one of the more eccentric pairings on the circuit, but Boult in particular might just contribute some handy runs with his inimitable style.
Problem areas
Quite simply, you can't replace Maxwell, so Stars need plenty from Stoinis and for Clarke to replicate his form from his last Stars season rather than his last Welsh Fire campaign. Burns and Larkin must forget about last year, while they could do with Cartwright replicating his terrific season.
Joe Clarke is back as Stars' overseas opener (Mike Owen/Getty Images)
BOWLING
Speed merchants
There won't be many more threatening new-ball pairings in the competition than the all-left-arm pairing of Boult and Wood. Wood is quicker, Boult is more skilful, both will find any swing there is to be had. Couch was exceptional last year and bowled at good pace; Hatcher, without a T20 appearance since January 2021, has been a regular for New South Wales this season and is a solid option.
Coulter-Nile bowls a heavy ball and is a proven international performer with IPL experience. Stoinis is the allrounder, with Cartwright these days only an occasional seamer. Cam McClure, 21, dismissed Matt Renshaw and Usman Khawaja in Shield match in November. Sam Elliot, 22, is the son of Matt, the former Australia opener.
Variation
There are few better in the world than Zampa at what he does. Other than the left-arm overseas pairing, he will provide the crux of the variety, though Clint Hinchcliffe is a left-arm wrist-spinner and Tom O'Connell is a promising leggie.
Problem areas
There isn't a specialist finger-spinner in Stars' squad with Maxwell unavailable. Otherwise, there is a lot to like about Melbourne's bowling cartel.
Brody Couch was Stars' leading wicket-taker last season (Mike Owen/Getty Images)
Who takes the gloves?
Clarke will keep wicket, as he did last season.
Squad: Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Elliott, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Campbell Kellaway, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Cam McClure, Tom O'Connell, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa, Tom Rogers
Fixtures: December 13 - Sydney Thunder (Manuka Oval, 8.15am), December 16 - Hobart Hurricanes (MCG, 6.05am), December 23 - Perth Scorchers (CitiPower Centre, 4.30am), December 26 - Sydney Sixers (SCG, 7.05am), December 29 - Perth Scorchers (Optus Stadium, 10.15am), December 31 - Adelaide Strikers (Adelaide Oval, 8am), January 3 - Melbourne Renegades (MCG, 8.15am), January 6 - Sydney Sixers (MCG, 7.30am), January 9 - Hobart Hurricanes (Blundstone Arena, 8.15am), January 12 - Adelaide Strikers (MCG, 8.15am), January 14 - Melbourne Renegades (Marvel Stadium, 8.30am), January 16 - Brisbane Heat (MCG, 8.15am), January 22 - Brisbane Heatb (The Gabba, 2.40am), January 25 - Sydney Thunder (MCG, 8.15am)
Possible starting XI: Joe Clarke, Marcus Stoinis, Nick Larkin, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Burns, Beau Webster, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Brody Couch, Luke Wood
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