NewsLocal Sport Junior Rising Star 2025/26: Highlighting the best U18s talent in New South Wales

Now we’re taking it to the next level with the introduction of our ‘Rising Junior Star’ award for 2025/26.

We’ll announce our monthly winner before putting it over to our readers in July 2026 to crown our first NewsLocal Sport Rising Junior Star.

Here’s the candidate for July.

JULY - KAYA KUMAR (CRICKET/BASKETBALL)

Kaya first shot to prominence at just 10 years of age when scoring 111 runs from 67 balls for the Hills Barbarians, playing up in age against the boys and against U14s girls.

She has continued on that blistering form where she was crowned the Parramatta DCA Female Player of the Year after scoring the most runs at the U15s mixed and U18s girls level (in the Brewer Shield).

She went on to play senior cricket with the Hills Barbarians, posting a top score of 164 not out.

It’s not only cricket where Kaya is excelling, with basketball also on her radar.

This year in the Waratah Metro Junior League U14s Div 1, she was crowned as the tournament’s MVP after averaging 22 points.

This came after taking out MVP honours at the U14s nationals in Nunawading.

*Candidates must be born in 2007 or later to be considered.

Originally published as NewsLocal Sport Junior Rising Star 2025/26: Highlighting the best U18s talent in New South Wales