The ACT Meteors have named a 13-player squad for the 2026 T20 Spring Challenge, beginning in Sydney on Monday, 12 October.
Canberra products Grace Lyons and Zoe Cooke will lead the Meteors, with Lyons named captain and Cooke vice-captain for the tournament.
As the only non-WBBL side competing in the T20 Spring Challenge, the Meteors will be without WBBL-contracted players Carly Leeson, Annie Wikman and Olivia Porter, who will represent their respective franchises. Lyons will step into the captaincy in Leeson’s absence.
The squad includes three Meteors Development Squad players in Brie Dillon, Amber Smith and Aanya Siingh, while Caity Mair joins the group after signing from Tasmania.
Dillon, Smith, Siingh, Mair, Stella Wilde and Anesu Mushangwe are all in line to make their ACT Meteors T20 debuts during the tournament, with Mushangwe having represented Adelaide Strikers during this tournament in previous years.
ACT Meteors Head Coach Clive Rose said the Spring Challenge provided an important opportunity for the squad to test themselves against quality opposition and showcase their ability on the national stage.
“It’s a really good opportunity for our young players to play against some of the best players in Australia and put their name forward for Big Bash cricket in the future,” Rose said.
“We know we have really good players, and it’s about believing they can win games against any opposition.
“The more players we have stepping up and winning games of cricket, the more confidence it builds within the group and for the individuals as well.”
Squad
Paris Bowdler, Rachel Carroll, Zoe Cooke (vc), Brie Dillon, Angelina Genford, Amy Hunter, Grace Lyons (c), Caity Mair, Shivani Mehta, Anesu Mushangwe, Aanya Siingh, Amber Smith, Stella Wilde
Head Coach: Clive Rose
Assistant Coach: Vusi Sibanda
Schedule
12 October: Hobart Hurricanes v ACT, BISP No. 2, 10.00am AEDT
13 October: Sydney Sixers v ACT, Bankstown Oval, 10.00am AEDT
16 October: Brisbane Heat v ACT, TBC, 2.30pm AEDT
17 October: ACT v Melbourne Stars, BISP No. 2, 2.30pm AEDT
20 October: Semi Finals, Cricket Central
21 October: Grand Final, Cricket Central, 2.00pm AEDT
All matches will be live-streamed on Kayo and cricket.com.au. View full fixtures.
The T20 Spring Challenge is a domestic women’s T20 competition delivered by Cricket Australia. Introduced in 2024, the nine-team tournament features the eight WBBL-aligned teams alongside the ACT Meteors and was established to provide additional high-quality domestic cricket opportunities.