The Perth Scorchers are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in Perth, Western Australia. They compete in the Women's Big Bash League, and won their first championship in WBBL|07.
Contents
History
Formation
One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Perth Scorchers are aligned with the men's team of the same name. On 9 May 2015, the WACA announced Mark Atkinson as the Scorchers' inaugural coach. At the official WBBL launch on 10 July, Jess Cameron was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing. Nicole Bolton was appointed as Perth's inaugural captain.
The Scorchers faced almost immediate turmoil, however, with Cameron taking an indefinite break from cricket in October (she would return to the league the following season, albeit with the Melbourne Stars). Then, days before the beginning of WBBL|01, Atkinson was replaced in the head coaching role by Lisa Keightley. Despite these unexpected obstacles, the team rallied in their first match on 11 December at Aquinas College to defeat the Brisbane Heat by two runs.
Rivalries
The Scorchers and Sydney Thunder have met in two semi-finals:
21 January 2016, Adelaide Oval: Defending a total of 6/118, the Thunder restricted the Scorchers to 9/110 and claimed victory by eight runs. The Thunder would go on to win the inaugural WBBL championship.
1 February 2018, Perth Stadium: In the first innings, the Scorchers posted a total of 2/148. The Thunder were reeling by the 11th over of the run chase, having lost five wickets for just 46 runs. Fran Wilson piled on 46 runs from 28 balls late in the match but Perth, led by Emma King's 3/17, easily defended the target to win by 27 runs.
A scheduling quirk, the two teams did not meet in the Thunder's home state of New South Wales until WBBL|06 when the entire tournament was played in Sydney due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2017 to 2018, five of their regular season encounters were played at Lilac Hill Park and characterised by close finishes, including:
7 January 2018: The Scorchers were well poised to chase down their target of 146 until a catch on the boundary by Thunder fielder Lisa Griffith dismissed Nicole Bolton for 71 in the 18th over. On the last ball of the match, Scorchers batter Mathilda Carmichael was run out by a metre while attempting a game-tying run, therefore securing victory for the Thunder by the narrowest of margins.
29 December 2018: The Thunder were catapulted to a score of 5/179 by a late 49-run partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Stafanie Taylor (which included 21 runs off the 18th over against the bowling of Taneale Peschel, who had taken 1/12 in her first three overs). Eight overs into the second innings, captain Meg Lanning had scored 71 of the Scorchers' 83 runs. Although Lanning was run out for 76 in the tenth over, Elyse Villani went on to score 66 not out, guiding the Scorchers to a six-wicket victory with one ball remaining. In doing so, the Scorchers set a new WBBL record for highest successful run chase.
The Sydney Sixers have met, and defeated, the Scorchers in two championship deciders:
Captaincy records
There have been six captains in the Scorchers' history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
Source:
Current squad
The squad of the Perth Scorchers for the 2026 Women's Big Bash League season as of 3 October 2026.
Players with international caps are listed in bold.
Players
Australian representatives
The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Scorchers after making their debut in the national women's team (the period they spent as both a Scorchers squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):
Overseas marquees
The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Scorchers as overseas marquees:
Honours
Champions: 1 – WBBL|07
Runners-Up: 3 – WBBL|02, WBBL|03, WBBL|11
Minor Premiers: 1 – WBBL|07
Finals Appearances: 7 – WBBL|01, WBBL|02, WBBL|03, WBBL|05, WBBL|06, WBBL|07, WBBL|09, WBBL|11
Wooden Spoons: 0
Statistics and awards
Team Stats
Win–loss record:
Highest score in an innings: 2/194 (20 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 3 November 2021
Highest successful chase: 4/180 (19.5 overs) vs Sydney Thunder, 29 December 2018
Lowest successful defence: 9/106 (20 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 11 December 2015
Largest victory:
Batting first: 104 runs vs Melbourne Renegades, 12 November 2022
Batting second: 55 balls remaining vs Melbourne Stars, 10 November 2021
Longest winning streak: 7 matches (17 November 2021 – 20 October 2022)
Longest losing streak: 4 matches
Source:
Individual Stats
Most runs: Beth Mooney – 3,024
Highest score in an innings: Sophie Devine – 106 (62) vs Brisbane Heat, 9 November 2023
Highest partnership: Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney – 173 vs Sydney Thunder, 24 October 2021
Most wickets: Heather Graham – 102
Best bowling figures in an innings: Alana King – 5/16 (4 overs) vs Brisbane Heat, 5 November 2024
Hat-tricks taken: Nicole Bolton vs Hobart Hurricanes, 19 December 2015
Most catches (fielder): Chloe Piparo – 36
Most dismissals (wicket-keeper): Beth Mooney – 57 (36 catches, 21 stumpings)
Source:
Individual Awards
Player of the Match:
Sophie Devine – 15
Beth Mooney – 14
Elyse Villani – 10
Heather Graham – 6
Nicole Bolton and Meg Lanning – 5
Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Charlotte Edwards, Amy Jones, Alana King – 4
Chloe Ainsworth and Nat Sciver-Brunt – 3
Amy Edgar, Marizanne Kapp, and Emma King – 2
Maddy Green and Katie-Jane Hartshorn – 1
WBBL Player of the Final:
Marizanne Kapp – WBBL|07
WBBL Player of the Tournament:
Sophie Devine – WBBL|06
WBBL Team of the Tournament:
Beth Mooney (6) – WBBL|06, WBBL|07, WBBL|08, WBBL|09, WBBL|10, WBBL|11
Sophie Devine (4) – WBBL|06, WBBL|07, WBBL|09, WBBL|11
Katherine Brunt (2) – WBBL|02, WBBL|03
Meg Lanning (2) – WBBL|04, WBBL|05
Chloe Ainsworth (2) – WBBL|09, WBBL|10
Charlotte Edwards – WBBL|01
Nicole Bolton – WBBL|03