Hobart Hurricanes have received a major setback ahead of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season, with England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt set to miss the tournament. The world-class all-rounder played a huge role in helping the Hurricanes win their first-ever WBBL title last season. However, she will not return this year, leaving the defending champions without one of their biggest match-winners as they prepare to defend the trophy.
The news was confirmed by Hobart Hurricanes head coach Jude Coleman, who revealed that Sciver-Brunt has decided to skip this year’s competition after a long and challenging English summer. The England captain spent much of the season managing a calf injury and now wants to focus on recovering properly before returning to international and franchise cricket. While the Hurricanes are disappointed to lose such an important player, the club fully understands her decision.
Coleman said the team respects Sciver-Brunt’s choice and understands why she needs time away from cricket after a demanding season. “We have already heard from Nat Sciver-Brunt that she’s not coming back this year at all to the tournament. It’s a disappointing loss for us, but we completely understand. She’s had a heavy English summer fighting injuries. She’ll also have the WPL (Women’s Premier League) in January, so it’s really her only time to get some time at home with her son and wife.”
Sciver-Brunt has been managing a calf injury since May, and it affected a large part of her international season. She missed England’s series against New Zealand and India, along with three group-stage matches during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Even after those setbacks, she returned to lead England in the knockout stage and guided the team into the World Cup final, where they were beaten by Australia by seven wickets.
Although the injury limited her bowling, it did not affect her batting. Sciver-Brunt enjoyed another outstanding World Cup with the bat, averaging 113 and scoring at a strike rate of over 140. She finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament, once again proving why she is regarded as one of the best all-round cricketers in the world. Her performances were one of the biggest reasons behind England’s successful campaign.
After taking a short break following England’s Test defeat to India at Lord’s, Sciver-Brunt returned to action in The Hundred. Playing for Trent Rockets, she scored 37 not out in her comeback match before adding 33 in her next innings. Those performances showed that she remains in excellent batting form, even though she continues to carefully manage her recovery.
Sciver-Brunt was one of the key players behind Hobart Hurricanes’ historic WBBL 11 title-winning campaign. She delivered several match-winning performances during the second half of the tournament and made another important contribution in the final. She scored 35 runs and shared a crucial 77-run partnership with Lizelle Lee, who was named Player of the Final, helping the Hurricanes secure their maiden WBBL championship.
She also produced her highest WBBL score in eight years when she smashed 81 from 48 balls against the Perth Scorchers, one of her former teams. Since helping Hobart lift the trophy, she has continued her excellent form in franchise cricket. She finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the Women’s Premier League 2026, scoring 321 runsfor Mumbai Indians and once again showing her quality on the biggest stage.
While Sciver-Brunt will not return this season, the Hurricanes are hopeful of bringing back another England star, Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Wyatt-Hodge enjoyed an excellent WBBL 11 campaign, scoring 432 runs, including four half-centuries, and was one of the team’s best batters. The club believes keeping its overseas players together has been one of the biggest reasons behind its recent success.
Coleman said the Hurricanes want to keep the core of the squad together for another season. “Part of our strategy over the past three years (has been) to try and keep the internationals the same. Having Danni (Wyatt-Hodge) locked in for two years in a row made a huge difference. We’ll be trying to do that again this year (and) trying to keep our internationals as consistent as we can. And our key (local) players like Molly (Strano), Heather (Graham) and Nicola (Carey), we’ll be trying to keep them together as best we can.”
The Hurricanes are also preparing for a new chapter after Elyse Villani retired following last season’s title-winning campaign. The club is yet to announce its new captain for WBBL 12. The 43-match tournament will begin on October 29 and conclude with the final on December 5, where Hobart will aim to become the first Hurricanes side to successfully defend a Women’s Big Bash League title despite the absence of one of their biggest stars.
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