Nicola Carey named Hobart Hurricanes captain for WBBL 2024-25
Synopsis
Nicola Carey steps into one of the toughest jobs in women's cricket — defending a maiden WBBL title that she helped win with the bat. As the Hurricanes' most-capped player and all-time leading wicket-taker, she has the credentials. But back-to-back Big Bash glory has eluded every Hobart side in history, making WBBL 12 a genuine frontier for the club.
Key Takeaways
Nicola Carey has been named Hobart Hurricanes captain for WBBL 12 , succeeding retired skipper Elyse Villani .
Heather Graham has been appointed vice-captain for the upcoming season.
Carey, 33 , has played 88 WBBL matches for Hobart since joining from Sydney Thunder in 2019 .
She is the club's all-time leading wicket-taker in the WBBL with 85 wickets and second-highest run-scorer with 1,362 runs .
No Hobart side — men's or women's — has ever won consecutive Big Bash titles.
Experienced all-rounder Nicola Carey has been appointed captain of the Hobart Hurricanes for WBBL 12, taking over from recently retired former skipper Elyse Villani. The club's most-capped women's player, Carey will be supported by Heather Graham, who has been named vice-captain for the upcoming season.
A Historic Handover
The captaincy change comes in the wake of one of the most celebrated farewells in Women's Big Bash League history. Villani led the Hurricanes to their maiden WBBL championship last season before announcing her retirement, leaving a significant void at the top of the team's leadership structure. Carey, who hit the winning runs against the Perth Scorchers in that title-clinching final, is now tasked with defending that crown — a feat no Hurricanes side, in either the men's or women's competition, has ever accomplished.
Carey's Record at Hobart
The 33-year-old left-hand batter and right-arm medium-pacer has been a cornerstone of the Hurricanes since joining from Sydney Thunder in 2019. Across 88 WBBL appearances for the club, she has taken more wickets (85) than any other Hurricanes player in the competition's history. With 1,362 runs to her name, she is the club's second-highest run-scorer in women's Big Bash history, trailing only South African star Lizelle Lee (1,409).
What Carey Said
'It's a huge honour (and) big shoes to fill, obviously, with Elyse leaving us at the end of last season, but I'm incredibly honoured to be given the job,' Carey said in a statement. She acknowledged the challenge of succeeding such a decorated predecessor while also signalling her intent to lead authentically: 'We're very different people, so I feel like I'll do it my way, but I don't think that'll change too much from how I go about things day to day within the group.'
Carey credited her time as vice-captain under Villani as vital preparation, noting that involvement in team meetings and strategic planning had been 'hugely beneficial' — even as she recognised the two leaders bring different personalities to the role.
The Challenge Ahead
Defending a WBBL title is a historically steep challenge, and no Hobart side — male or female — has retained a Big Bash championship. Carey enters the role with arguably the strongest possible grounding: club record for wickets, second-highest run-tally, and a front-row view of a title-winning captaincy. Whether that combination translates into back-to-back glory will define her tenure. The WBBL 12 season is expected to begin in late 2024, with the Hurricanes entering as the competition's defending champions.
Point of View
But logic and pressure are different things. Villani's farewell was near-perfect — a title, a retirement, a legacy — and Carey now carries that weight into a defence that history says is unlikely to succeed. The more interesting question is structural: can the Hurricanes maintain the squad depth that made last season's run possible, or was Villani's leadership the irreplaceable variable? Carey's statistics make her the obvious captain. Whether the team around her is good enough is the real story of WBBL 12.
NationPress
28 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has been named Hobart Hurricanes captain for WBBL 12?
Nicola Carey has been appointed captain of the Hobart Hurricanes for WBBL 12. The experienced all-rounder takes over from Elyse Villani, who retired after leading the side to their maiden WBBL title last season.
Why did Elyse Villani step down as Hurricanes captain?
Elyse Villani retired from cricket at the end of WBBL 11 after a celebrated farewell in which she led the Hurricanes to their first-ever WBBL championship. Her retirement opened the door for Carey's appointment.
What are Nicola Carey's stats for the Hobart Hurricanes?
Carey has played 88 WBBL matches for Hobart since joining from Sydney Thunder in 2019. She is the club's all-time leading wicket-taker with 85 wickets and its second-highest run-scorer with 1,362 runs, behind only Lizelle Lee (1,409).
Who is Hobart Hurricanes' vice-captain for WBBL 12?
Heather Graham has been named vice-captain of the Hobart Hurricanes for WBBL 12, supporting newly appointed captain Nicola Carey.
Have the Hobart Hurricanes ever won back-to-back Big Bash titles?
No. No Hobart side — in either the men's or women's Big Bash competition — has ever won consecutive championships, making a successful title defence an historic challenge for Carey's Hurricanes.
