Last Updated on 11 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Sophie Molineux is unarguably one of the biggest names in Australian cricket at the moment. After there were questions marks on the decision to appoint her as captain, she answered the critics in style when she led her side to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 title.
In addition to her leadership, Molineux was the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 11 wickets in seven games.
As far as her overall record is concerned, the left-arm spinner has taken 56 wickets in 48 games in the shortest format. The spinner was recently at the Junction Oval for the announcement of Melbourne Renegades’ principal partner.
During an exclusive interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan at the same event for CricBlog, the Renegades captain expressed her excitement over the return of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin. She was hopeful of her franchise doing well in the upcoming edition of the WBBL.
Additionally, the Aussie skipper also drew light on winning the 2026 T20 WC while mentioning that there’s no time to relax owing to the dynamics of international cricket. She then shared her experience of playing and spending time with players like Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, and Phoebe Litchfield.
She stated that they engage in a lot of activities outside of cricket too, and spoke about the bond she shares with them.
Sophie Molineux interview: This is going to be a very special year for the Melbourne Renegades
Below is the entire conversation between Arvind Kalyana Krishnan and Sophie Molineux:
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: Firstly, congratulations on winning the T20 World Cup!
Sophie Molineux: Oh thank you! Yeah, feels like a long time ago, but it was a really special six weeks and yeah, to have been able to win it at Lord’s….. The packed crowds, some really special memories.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: See, when you became the skipper of Australia, there were question marks. You’ve put it all to rest now with your captaincy, but since the standards of Australian cricket are so high, are you happy and confident? Or is the pressure still there?
Sophie Molineux: Oh there’s always pressure. You know it’s an elite sport I suppose but yeah, at the same time you can’t let results define you as a person or you as a team. So we know that we’re going to have to keep getting better and look at ways to improve and that’s what has been a foundation for us for a few years now so we’ll continue to grow and make sure that we lift our standards and everything.
Because you know, the international games are really really strong now and we know that we can’t just settle and because yeah, there’s a lot of potential in this team. I feel like we’re just touching the surface which is really exciting.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: As far as Melbourne Renegades are concerned, you guys are looking very confident and happy. So what are the expectations for the upcoming WBBL?
Sophie Molineux: Yeah, I think every team going into the Big Bash would feel like they’ve got a good team. We’re no different, and we’ve been able to maintain estranged players that have been together for a long time. Hayley Matthews is back. Deandra Dottin is back. So yeah, just a couple of class players to be able to top-off what we’ve got at home. But really excited.
This is going to be a very special year for the Renegades. We haven’t really got much to lose, so to be able to come out here and then play in front of our fans and hopefully make them real proud and give them memories is what we’ll be aiming for.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: You play with some of the best players in the world in Australia like [Ellyse] Perry and Phoebe [Litchfield], who’s now growing, and Ashleigh [Gardner]. So if you can speak about your experience playing with so many stalwarts.
Sophie Molineux: Yeah, I feel lucky every day… To not only be able to play alongside them, but also being really good mates and just to be able to, I suppose, do life with these guys at this point in time and we spend a lot of time on the road, we travel, we play together a lot.
So yeah, to be able to learn from them and watch them become the players they are is really special and yeah, I think that’s the beauty of being in this Australian team right now. You know, we all want to train and help each other get better, and yeah, that’s the spot we’re in at the moment and it’s really exciting to be a part of.
