Will Sutherland is an Australian all-rounder who captains the Melbourne Renegades. Born on 27 October 1999 in East Melbourne, he’s a right-arm fast-medium bowler and powerful right-handed batter. Sutherland also captains Victoria, won the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2021, and made his ODI debut for Australia in February 2024.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full name | William James Sutherland |
| Born | 27 October 1999, East Melbourne, VIC |
| Country | Australia |
| Role | All-rounder, captain |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium |
| BBL team | Melbourne Renegades (captain; signed through BBL|17) |
| State team | Victoria (captain) |
| Family | Son of James Sutherland, former Cricket Australia CEO; brother of Annabel Sutherland |
| Australia caps | 2 ODIs |
Background: Country, Early Life and Domestic Roots
Sutherland is Melbourne cricket royalty. Born in East Melbourne, he’s the son of James Sutherland — the former Cricket Australia CEO, which is where his nickname “Chief” comes from — and his younger sister Annabel is a regular in Australia’s women’s team as an all-rounder. Leadership and cricket are in the blood.
He was a talented junior Australian Rules footballer — good enough to have an AFL path — but in July 2017 he took a multi-year deal with Victoria instead, choosing cricket. He was vice-captain of Australia’s 2018 Under-19 World Cup squad and won the Commonwealth Bank Future Star award. His BBL debut came on 20 December 2018 — in the Renegades’ title-winning BBL|08 season.
The 2019-20 Shield season announced him properly: 15 wickets at 15.8, including 5 for 42 against Queensland at the Gabba and 6 for 67 against South Australia at Adelaide Oval. In February 2021 he was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year — the 22nd winner of the award, following names like Brett Lee, Shane Watson and David Warner. He’d taken the award on the back of performances for Victoria and the Renegades, and it marked him as a future international.
International Career
Sutherland’s international career is young — two ODIs so far — but the selectors clearly rate him.
Test Career
No Tests yet. As a seam-bowling all-rounder with 184 first-class wickets at 24.47, he’s a credible red-ball prospect, but Australia’s Test attack is the best in the world and breaking in is brutally hard. Leading Victoria to the 2025-26 Sheffield Shield final won’t have hurt his case.
ODI Career
Sutherland made his ODI debut against the West Indies in February 2024 (cap 247), presented with his cap by former Victoria quick Clint McKay. He played both matches of that series, taking 2 wickets at 16.50 with a best of 2 for 28 in the second game at Canberra, and scoring 18 runs. Two caps, and the door is still open — a 6’5″ seam-bowling all-rounder who can bat is a rare commodity, and the selectors know it.
T20I Career
No T20Is yet. His T20 numbers — 958 runs and 53 wickets in 85 matches — are solid rather than spectacular, and Australia’s T20I all-rounder spots are fiercely contested. A big BBL|16 as Renegades captain would be the perfect audition.
Domestic and Franchise Career
For Victoria, Sutherland is the captain and the spearhead: 58 first-class matches, 1,575 runs with two hundreds (best 101 not out), and 184 wickets at 24.47 with a best of 6 for 67. He led Victoria to the 2025-26 Sheffield Shield final, and he’s also led Australia A. At 26, he’s one of the most experienced young leaders in Australian cricket.
In 2025, he played for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast and County Championship — the full Vitality Blast group campaign plus a couple of Championship matches — and impressed enough to be re-signed for a second summer in 2026. A planned 2023 stint with Essex was cancelled by a back stress fracture, and injury also cost him a planned spell with Somerset, but Yorkshire got the best of him: his best T20 knock of 70 off 45 balls came against the Scorchers while wearing Renegades red.
BBL Career — Leader of the Renegades
BBL|08 (2018-19): Debut season — and a title. Sutherland was part of the Renegades squad that won the club’s only championship. Not a bad way to start.
BBL|07–12: Signed as a teenager ahead of BBL|07, he grew season by season into a key all-rounder: new-ball bowler, middle-order hitter, gun fielder.
BBL|13 (2023-24): Took over the captaincy from Nic Maddinson, becoming just the fourth man to captain the Renegades. He led from the front with hard-hitting middle-order knocks and sharp death bowling.
BBL|14–15: Established as the club’s leader, signed through BBL|17. In BBL|15 he starred with both bat and ball, including 2 for 22 and 70 off 45 balls against the Scorchers.
BBL|16 (2026-27): Leads the Renegades into another campaign, with new overseas star Jonny Bairstow joining the squad. Check the BBL 2027 schedule for Renegades fixtures.
Playing Style and Strengths
Sutherland is a tall, imposing all-rounder who impacts games in every way — launching sixes, breaking partnerships with the ball, and lifting the team in big moments. His first-class record (184 wickets at 24.47, best 6/67) shows how good his bowling is; his power-hitting shows the batting is real too. He’s a strong close fielder and a natural leader — captaining Victoria and the Renegades by 26 doesn’t happen by accident.
His bowling is honest fast-medium: hits the deck, moves it enough, and bowls the hard overs. His batting is clean power — when he connects, it stays hit. The all-round package is why the selectors keep watching.
Recent Form and What to Watch
Sutherland spent the winter recovering from a back stress fracture but was back playing for the Renegades Academy in Darwin’s Top End T20 and for Australia A against India A in October 2026 — taking 3 for 44 in one of those games. Leading Victoria to the Shield final and captaining the Renegades through BBL|16, he’s got a huge summer ahead.
Watch for his fitness across a long season, whether he can push his T20 batting average up, and whether a big BBL|16 puts him back in Australia’s white-ball plans. The 2026-27 summer could define his international future — and as Renegades captain, the team’s fortunes rest on his shoulders too.
Career Statistics
T20 Career
| Matches | Runs | HS | Wickets | Avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 958 | 70 | 53 | 37.03 | 3/14 |
First-Class Career
| Matches | Runs | HS | Wickets | Avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 1,575 | 101* | 184 | 24.47 | 6/67 |
ODI Career (Australia)
| Matches | Runs | Wickets | Avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 18 | 2 | 16.50 | 2/28 |
Last verified: 18 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who captains the Melbourne Renegades?
Will Sutherland. He took over from Nic Maddinson in 2023 — becoming just the fourth Renegades captain — and is signed through BBL|17. He also captains Victoria.
Is Will Sutherland related to James Sutherland?
Yes. Will is the son of James Sutherland, the former CEO of Cricket Australia — hence his nickname “Chief”. His sister Annabel plays for Australia’s women’s team.
Has Sutherland played for Australia?
Yes. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies in February 2024 (cap 247), taking 2 for 28 in his second match. He also played for Yorkshire in England in 2025 and was re-signed for 2026.
See the BBL 2027 schedule for Renegades fixtures, meet the other BBL 2027 teams, and check the BBL 2027 points table once the season starts. Read about the Renegades’ new overseas star Jonny Bairstow, and see Sutherland’s full career record on Wikipedia.