New Brisbane Heat captain Georgie Redmayne returned to work as a doctor this year and will now help improve the side's form after last season.

The wicketkeeper-batter takes over from all-rounder Jess Jonassen, who led the side for the past six WBBL seasons.

In 2025, the Heat finished last and did not win a match. The Queensland Fire, with many Heat players, then won the 2025-26 WNCL final with Redmayne captaining the 50-over side and scoring a century in the decider.

She said the form in the 20-over format was achievable for the Heat.

"If we win one game we are on the up," Redmayne said, grinning.

"To be more serious, pre-season has been really good and winning the WNCL was massive for us with a lot of the same core group, so we know we are still a winning team.

"We just have to tweak a few things to be successful in that T20 format. We have got our first game at home (on Friday night) against the Sixers, which is always a good rivalry.

"Last year we didn't really turn up in the high-pressure moments … but hopefully we go back to the winning ways which we were known for in the past"

Redmayne said she got a lot out of returning to work as a doctor after a few years where cricket took centre stage.

"I actually came back to it this year. It was really nice," she said.

"I did a bit of a stint in April and another stint in August/September this year at Greenslopes Private Hospital in Brisbane.

"It helps provide a great bit of grounding for me, especially when you go away playing cricket.

"You can think it is the be-all and end-all playing professional sport, but it is literally grounding seeing some real world problems."

Redmayne has been a great success at the top of the order for the Brisbane Heat and was the leading run scorer in three consecutive seasons from 2020-2022.

Grace Harris, her opening partner much of the time, topped the aggregates in 2023 and 2024. The Heat made the finals in all five of those years and were runners-up twice.

The Heat moved Redmayne down the order last season, but it did not work, so a return to opening with Harris would be a good place to start for the side to turn their form around.

"(Opening) is somewhere I really enjoy batting and where I would like to bat," Redmayne said.

"My favourite time playing cricket was always opening the batting with Grace. We had a couple of very successful seasons.

"Last year our order was very changeable. I started at number eight and ended up at number four.

"I don't mind where I bat, so long as we are winning games."

AAP