Franchise Cricket

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Sixteen-year-old Caoimhe Bray took a hat-trick as Sydney Sixers beat city rivals Thunder by 24 runs in the Women's Big Bash.

Bray, who became the tournament's youngest player last season, removed Australia's Phoebe Litchfield at the end of the seventh over, before getting Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu and Laura Harris with the first two balls of the ninth.

It is the seventh hat-trick in the history of the WBBL, and the first since 2021.

Chasing 143, Thunder recovered from 49-7 to finish on 118-8, with Lucy Finn top-scoring with 49 not out off 34 balls.

Earlier, Sixers posted 143-9 with England's Sophia Dunkley top-scoring with 43 off 35 balls and Alyssa Healy 26 off 15 balls.

Sixers move second in the table, while Thunder are seventh after three defeats in three games.

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India legend Ravindra Jadeja has been involved in a blockbuster trade that will see him return to Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

The 36-year-old, who will turn 37 before the tournament next year, started his IPL career at the Royals and has scored 3,260 runs and taken 170 wickets in 254 matches.

He leaves Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to return to the Royals for 14 Indian crore (approx £1.2m), while India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson moves the other way at his existing league fee of 18 crore (approx £1.54m).

Samson, 31, has played for the Royals in 11 of his 13 IPL seasons and CSK will be his third franchise.

England all-rounder Sam Curran has also moved with Jadeja for 2.4 crore (approx £205,000). The Royals will be his third IPL franchise after different spells at CSK and Punjab Kings since 2019.

India quick Mohammed Shami has been traded to Lucknow Super Giants from Sunrisers Hyderabad for 10 crore (approx £855,000), while batter Nitish Rana has joined Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals for 4.2 crore (approx £375,000).

Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun has moved from Mumbai Indians to Lucknow Super Giants for 30 lakh, while leg-spinner Mayank Markande has joined Mumbai from Kolkata Knight Riders.

South Africa all-rounder Donovan Ferreira also returns to the Royals from the Capitals for 1 crore (approx £85,000).

Those moves complete the trades after India's Shardul Thakur and West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford joined Mumbai earlier in the week.

The 10 sides had until 15 November to inform the league of trades and their retentions for the 2026 season.

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England's Danni Wyatt-Hodge continued her impressive start as Hobart Hurricanes extended their perfect run with a 16-run win over Brisbane Heat in a rain-affected Women's Big Bash game.

Wyatt-Hodge made 44 off 26 balls at the top of the order as Hurricanes posted 114-1 in their 12 overs.

The right-hander, who now has 179 runs in three innings, shared 109 for the first wicket with Lizelle Lee (59 not out off 45).

In reply, Heat, who have lost all three of their matches, finished 108-9, chasing a revised 125.

They were going well at 68-2 after seven overs but lost Jess Jonassen, Chinelle Henry, Nadine de Klerk and Georgia Redmayne in the next three overs to fall behind the rate.

Nicola Carey, Heather Graham and Molly Strano all took two wickets as Hurricanes go three from three with their 16-run win on DLS.

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Peter Moores has stepped up to replace Andy Flower as head coach of Trent Rockets' men's side in The Hundred.

Moores, 62, was Flower's assistant during the 2025 edition of the tournament, where the Rockets were beaten in the final by Oval Invincibles.

Zimbabwean Flower, 57, left the Rockets to replace Justin Langer as head coach of London Spirit last month.

"It feels like a good time to be taking over the Rockets, and I'm really excited about the opportunity to lead the team," said Moores.

"I see this as a great opportunity to continue on from the strong and successful foundations built by Andy Flower."

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly's company Cain International has agreed to buy a 49% share of Trent Rockets, with Nottinghamshire Cricket Club retaining control of the other 51%. Confirmation of the deal is yet to be formally announced.

"The investment and energy that's coming into The Hundred, and the change of ownership at the Rockets in particular, make it a really exciting time," added Moores.

Moores led Nottinghamshire to the County Championship title this year, becoming the only man to win the competition with three different sides - having previously done so with Sussex and Lancashire.

He has been Nottinghamshire head coach since 2016 and signed a new three-year deal with the club in August.

Moores also spent two spells as England head coach - between 2007 and 2009, before returning to replace Flower in 2014 - but was sacked after a poor World Cup and drawn Test series in West Indies in 2015.

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Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur and West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford have joined Mumbai Indians for the 2026 Indian Premier League after trades were agreed.

Shardul, 34, moves from Lucknow Super Giants, who he played for as an injury replacement this year.

He had a solid campaign with 13 wickets in 10 matches and joins for his current fee of two crore rupees (£171,000).

Left-hander Rutherford scored 291 runs in Gujarat Titans' run to the play-offs and moves for 2.6 crore (£222,000)

IPL franchises are currently able to make player trades, either by swapping players or in direct cash deals, prior to the auction which is expected to be held next month.

Chennai Super Kings are reportedly in talks, external to trade England all-rounder Sam Curran and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson.

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Danni Wyatt-Hodge's 45 and two wickets for England team-mate Linsey Smith helped Hobart Hurricanes continue their winning start to the Women's Big Bash with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sydney Sixers.

Wyatt-Hodge put on 95 with opening partner Lizelle Lee, hitting six fours and two sixes, to break the back of a chase of 153 and become the tournament's leading run-scorer after two matches.

Lee made 55, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt eased 21 and Nicola Carey ended 26 not out as Hurricanes won with 3.1 overs to spare.

Earlier, spinner Smith took 2-15 in two overs as Sixers were restricted to 152-9.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy scored 37 and international team-mate Ellyse Perry 33 but England batter Sophia Dunkley was out for six, captain Ash Gardner nine and New Zealand international Melie Kerr a first-ball duck.

Uncapped 22-year-old Australian seamer Hayley Silver-Holmes took 3-18.

Hurricanes move to the top of the standings with two wins from two games, overtaking Melbourne Renegades courtesy of their early-season net run-rate.

Sixers are third, having beat Perth Scorchers in their opener.

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Australia opener Beth Mooney hit the first hundred of the 2025 Women's Big Bash to help Perth Scorchers beat Brisbane Heat by 23 runs and earn their first win of this year's competition.

Mooney scored 105 in 73 balls, dominating the scoring in Perth's 172-3.

Fellow opener Katie Mack was the next highest scorer with 31 while England batter Paige Scholfield made 22.

Left-hander Mooney hit 13 fours and three sixes as she batted through until the final over. The century was her fourth in the WBBL.

Brisbane, who have lost both of their opening games, struggled in their chase and were bowled out for 149 in 19.1 overs.

Grace Harris made 46 at the top of the order but South Africa international Nadine de Klerk fell for three and India batter Jemimah Rodrigues was caught for 11.

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England all-rounder Alice Capsey took a wicket and scored 30 as Melbourne Renegades made it two wins from two in this year's Women's Big Bash by beating Sydney Thunder by four wickets.

Capsey hit three fours and a six in her 27 balls to steady Renegades after they slipped to 23-3 in pursuit of 149, including English teenager Davina Perrin caught for 12.

Australia all-rounder and Renegades captain Georgia Wareham then struck 58 from just 32 balls - capping her fine all-round performance - as victory was secured with 11 balls to spare.

Wareham took 2-25 from four overs and Capsey 1-15 from two to help restrict Thunder to 148-7.

Wareham dismissed Australia team-mate Phoebe Litchfield for 12 and former England captain Heather Knight for 30. Capsey bowled the dangerous Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu for a four-ball duck.

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England spinner Sophie Ecclestone took a wicket on her Adelaide Strikers debut and ran out former Australia captain Meg Lanning before their Women's Big Bash match against Melbourne Stars was washed out.

Ecclestone, who joined the Strikers this year after two Big Bash seasons with Sydney Sixers, was relatively expensive, conceding 35 runs from her four overs, but bowled England team-mate Dani Gibson for 31 from 15 balls.

She was also credited with the run-out of Lanning when Australia all-rounder Annabel Sutherland drilled a drive down the pitch and the ball brushed Ecclestone's fingers before hitting the stumps at the non-striker's end with Lanning out of her ground.

Lanning was the Stars' highest scorer with 60 in their 184-5. Sutherland made 54 not out and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones 13.

England opener Tammy Beaumont miscued to extra cover for a two-ball duck at the start of the Strikers' chase but rained arrived after 4.2 overs with the score 32-1.

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England's Sophia Dunkley and Australia's Ash Gardner starred as Sydney Sixers thrashed Perth Scorchers by 10 wickets in their opening Women's Big Bash League game.

Chasing 110 to win, Dunkley smashed an unbeaten 61 from 40 balls, with four fours and five sixes.

Australia great Ellyse Perry was happy to play second fiddle at the other end, making 47 not out off 37 balls as Sixers won with 43 balls to spare.

Earlier, Gardner, who was announced as Sixers' new captain on Friday, took 5-15 as Scorchers were bowled out for 109 in 19.3 overs.

Gardner removed New Zealand's Sophie Devine (three) and England's Paige Scholfield in successive balls in the eighth over, before returning later in the innings to take three more wickets, including England's Freya Kemp.

Perry also took two wickets, including Mikayla Hinkley, who top-scored with 31.

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England's Danni Wyatt-Hodge crashed 90 off 52 balls as Hobart Hurricanes edged past Sydney Thunder in a high-scoring thriller in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 182 in Brisbane, Wyatt-Hodge hit nine fours and three sixes before being dismissed in the 18th over to set up a tense finale.

She shared 143 with Nicola Carey (58 not out off 43 balls) for the third wicket after Hurricanes slipped to 27-2 with England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt out for four.

Wyatt-Hodge was caught by Heather Knight off Sam Bates to leave 12 needed from 16 balls and although Heather Graham hit two of the next four balls to the boundary, the game went to the final over.

South Africa's Shabnim Ismail conceded just one and dismissed Graham in the penultimate over to leave three required from the last and Carey and Elyse Villani secured a six-wicket win with three balls to spare.

Earlier, Thunder posted 181-8 with Knight top-scoring with 39 off 31 balls. There were also contributions from Chamari Athapaththu (32 off 22), Tahlia Wilson (22 off 23) and Laura Harris (20 off seven).

Hayley Silver-Holmes was the pick of the Hurricanes bowlers, taking 2-27 in three overs, but England's Linsey Smith endured a difficult day, claiming 1-46 in four overs.

• Women's Big Bash fixtures & table

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England's Davina Perrin was out for a first-ball duck on her Women's Big Bash debut but Melbourne Renegades beat Brisbane Heat by seven wickets in a rain-affected opening game of the new season.

Perrin, 19, was signed last week as an injury replacement for West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews but was caught behind from the first ball of Renegades DLS-adjusted chase of 66 from eight overs.

England's Alice Capsey and West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin were dismissed in the next over for five and eight respectively, but Courtney Webb (34 not out off 22 balls) and Georgia Wareham (16* off 13) got defending champions Renegades over the line with three balls to spare.

Earlier, Heat were bowled out for 133 from the final ball of their innings after being asked to bat first.

South Africa's Nadine de Klerk made 40 at the top of the order but seven batters were dismissed for single figures, including India's Jemimah Rodrigues (six) and Australia's Jess Jonassen (eight).

Wareham was the pick of the Renegades' bowlers, claiming 3-12, while Capsey impressed with 3-20, including the wickets of De Klerk and Rodrigues.

• Women's Big Bash fixtures & table