Retirements, interstate moves and freelance T20 deals headline major squad changes across Australia

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Australia’s domestic teams have finalised their squads for the 2026-27 season, with several high-profile retirements, interstate transfers and contract reshuffles shaping the upcoming campaign across both men’s and women’s cricket.

New South Wales Blues

The Blues have undergone minimal change during the offseason, though the departure of wicketkeeper-batter Matt Gilkes to South Australia Cricket Association leaves a significant gap in both formats. Former Australia Under-19 batter Harjas Singh has earned a rookie contract, while pacer Bryce Jackson arrives from Western Australia. Veteran seamer Chris Tremain has retired, and Blake Nikitaras has moved to Queensland as an uncontracted player.

In the women’s setup, Alyssa Healy has retired from state cricket, while wicketkeeper-batter Emma Manix-Geeves joins from Tasmania. NSW are also awaiting confirmation over the availability of England-based allrounder Georgia Adams.

Queensland Bulls and Fire

Queensland have strengthened their pace attack by bringing back seamer Cameron Gannon from Western Australia after a difficult season for bowling depth. Veteran opener Usman Khawaja has retired, while Zanden Jeh, Benji Floros and Gurinder Sandhu were omitted from the contract list.

Queensland Women have parted ways with experienced batter Laura Harris, while Ruby Strange has shifted to Western Australia. Several young players, including Aya Kato-Stafford and Filippa SueSee, earned rookie deals.

South Australia

South Australia secured one of the biggest signings of the offseason by bringing back opener Jake Weatherald from Tasmania despite him still being under contract there. The Redbacks also signed wicketkeeper-batter Matt Gilkes from NSW to strengthen their keeping stocks with Alex Carey expected to miss much of the season due to Test commitments.

Young allrounder Noah McFadyen and BBL breakout batter Jerrssis Wadia were rewarded with contracts, while experienced names Conor McInerney and Daniel Drew missed out.

South Australia Women retained an unchanged squad despite finishing fourth in last season’s WNCL competition. Captain Jemma Barsby continues to lead a side featuring Australian stars Tahlia McGrath, Darcie Brown and Megan Schutt.

Tasmania Tigers

Tasmania suffered a major blow with the loss of opener Jake Weatherald to South Australia, though his availability would likely have been limited because of national duties. Fast bowler Kieran Elliott has moved to Western Australia, while Ben McDermott returns to the contracted list after spending last season as an uncontracted player.

Emerging allrounder Nikhil Chaudhary earned a full-time contract after impressive performances across formats, and former WA batter Teague Wyllie also joined for greater opportunities.

Tasmania Women strengthened significantly with the addition of England allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards alongside interstate recruits Kate Pelle and Ella Hayward. Meanwhile, Emma Manix-Geeves departed for NSW and spinner Amy Smith was left off the list.

Victoria

Victoria’s men retained most of their Shield runner-up squad, although the major headline was Matt Short opting to go freelance and focus on global T20 opportunities after losing his national contract. He remains available for Shield and one-day cricket when not overseas.

Veteran allrounder Glenn Maxwell is also willing to play one-day cricket for Victoria despite retiring from ODIs and not holding a Cricket Australia contract.

On the women’s side, former Australia captain Meg Lanning also chose to go freelance to prioritise overseas opportunities. Ella Hayward and Sasha Moloney moved to Tasmania, while fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck returned to the state list after losing her CA contract.

Western Australia

Western Australia had to restructure their squad after pacers Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris lost their national contracts. The side recruited seamer Kieran Elliott from Tasmania but lost several key players including Cameron Gannon, Bryce Jackson and Teague Wyllie.

In the women’s competition, WA signed pace bowler Ruby Strange from Queensland after her strong WBBL performances. Spinner Charis Bekker stepped away from cricket to continue her studies in the United States.