Meg Lanning, the former Australia captain, has decided not to sign a contract with Victoria for the upcoming domestic season. With this, she officially becomes a freelance cricketer as she continues to explore opportunities in franchise leagues around the world.
“We support Meg’s decision,” Cricket Victoria head of female cricket Kirby Short said. “The women’s game is growing, and players are now presented with opportunities across the world, which is ultimately a positive reflection of the evolution of our game.”
Lanning, who retired from international cricket in November 2023, remained a part of Victoria’s squad but played only four matches last season and played none after the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
Currently, she has deals with franchises like UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred. This year, she also joined Lancashire for the T20 Blast league. However, as of now, the former Australia skipper is off-contract with Melbourne Stars despite being the second-highest run-scorer in WBBL last season with 479 runs at 53.22 and a strike-rate of 136.07.
Meanwhile, Victoria has brought back Tayla Vlaeminck and Tess Flintoff to its domestic squad after both players lost their contracts with Cricket Australia. As for their performance last season, Short admitted to being disappointed in their poor campaign.
“We’re certainly not proud of the results from last season, and we understand we need to be better. What is most encouraging is the shared understanding that’s come from our reflection. There is alignment across staff and players about the environment we want to create. It is going to take a lot of hard work, and we understand it will be a case of incremental progress, rather than chasing an overnight solution. We are certainly up for it,” she shared.
Victoria Women squad for 2026-27 season
Ira Aery, Sophie Day, Samara Dulvin, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth (CA), Hasrat Gill, Olivia Henry, Milly Illingworth, Rhys McKenna, Sophie Molineux (CA), Indigo Noble, Mia Perrin, Georgia Prestwidge, Zoe Samuel, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland (CA), Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham (CA), Bronte Leishman (R).
