Simon Helmot has stepped down as Melbourne Renegades WBBL coach after five seasons, leaving two years on his deal and, by the sounds of it, a few unfinished ideas.
Helmot is currently in India with Sunrisers Hyderabad, working as an assistant to Dan Vettori in the IPL. The 54-year-old took charge of the Renegades women in 2021 and guided them to their maiden title in 2024. He re-signed almost straight away for three more seasons, yet after a middling 2025 campaign that ended in fifth place he has decided it is time for, as he puts it to friends, “something different”.
General manager James Rosengarten was quick to salute the outgoing coach.
“Simon has been an extraordinary Renegades person for a long time, and someone who has given so much to our club,” Rosengarten said. “He’s not only delivered success on the field but has had a profound impact on the people and the environment around him. The way he connects with players, staff and fans and the care he brings to his work has left a lasting mark on our program and the broader Victorian cricket community. He leaves with our full support as he takes on an exciting new opportunity, and we’re incredibly proud to see him continue his journey. He will always be a valued part of the Renegades family.”
That tribute underlines Helmot’s reach. He was the inaugural men’s BBL coach back in 2011-12, stayed four summers, and has since hopscotched across leagues – Bangladesh, the Caribbean, you name it – even picking up a CPL title along the way.
Industry talk suggests he wants a full-time head-coach post abroad, though neither the club nor Helmot has confirmed the destination. What we do know: the Renegades now have a sizeable gap to fill before the next WBBL list is locked in, and the market for experienced women’s T20 coaches is not exactly overflowing.
A search panel will be formed “soonish”, according to a Renegades insider. Expect player voices, especially captain Sophie Molineux’s, to weigh heavily once names are floated.
Helmot departs with his trophy cabinet intact and his phone, one imagines, already buzzing.
