BBL 2023–2024: Glenn Maxwell steps down as captain of the Melbourne Stars

Legendary all-around player Glenn Maxwell made the announcement that he was quitting as captain of the Melbourne Stars following the team’s Big Bash League (BBL) season without making the playoffs. The Stars, led by Glenn Maxwell , concluded the eight-team competition’s round-robin round ranked sixth on the points table. Out of the ten matches they participated in, they won four and lost six. After leading the team for over five years, the seasoned campaigner announced his resignation as captain.

According to accounts, on Monday, January 15, after the team’s season-ending seven-run loss to the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG, Glenn Maxwell communicated his decision to his teammates. This season, Peter Moores was named the Stars’ new head coach, but he was unable to turn around the Melbourne club’s poor performance, as they missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

After John Hastings captained Melbourne for a season following David Hussey‘s retirement, Maxwell took over as captain in 2018. The Stars advanced to the BBL Finals in both 2018–19 and 2019–20 under Maxwell’s leadership, although they were defeated by the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers, respectively. The only two BBL teams that have never taken home the championship are the Stars and the Hurricanes.

There are still a few years still on Maxwell’s 35-year-old Stars deal. Marcus Stoinis, another seasoned all-around player, has an expiring deal though. According to reports, the Stars want to keep him on the team. Melbourne extended Hilton Cartwright’s contract for an additional two years prior to the commencement of the season. Corey Rocchiccioli, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Joe Burns, and Brody Couch, however, are no longer under contract.

Glenn Maxwell said, “It feels like the last four years out of finals contention is quite frustrating,” prior to the Hobart Hurricanes’ defeat.

Prior to the Stars’ defeat by the Hurricanes, Maxwell appeared irritated. He claimed that his squad missed out on opportunities and that the campaign’s unfavorable outcome was due to unfortunate injuries.

We gave our run to someone else, which is never a good idea in this kind of competition. We have to accept the fact that we put ourselves in this situation. It feels like the last four years of not making the finals are quite disheartening after the first couple of years of domination and not being able to overcome that last hurdle. Fox Cricket cited Maxwell as stating, “We feel like we’ve had a good enough list, probably haven’t had enough luck with injuries and timing, replacements, and it just seems to compound on itself.”