 | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Captain | David Warner | |
| Coach | Trevor Bayliss | |
| Team information | ||
| Colours | Lime Green | |
| Founded | 2011; 14 years ago (2011) | |
| Home ground | Sydney Showground Stadium | |
| Capacity | Approx. 21,500[1] | |
| History | ||
| BBL wins | 1:BBL05 | |
| Official website | Sydney Thunder | |
| ||
| Seasons |
|---|
TheSydney Thunder is an Australian franchise professionalcricket team, competing in Australia's domesticTwenty20 cricket competition, theBig Bash League.[2][3] Along with theSydney Sixers, the Thunder is the successor to theNew South Wales Blues which played in the now-defunctKFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The team's home ground isSydney Showground Stadium.
Along with theSydney Sixers, the Sydney Thunder is the successor to theNew South Wales Blues which played in the now-defunctKFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The NSW Cricket board unanimously decided on lime green as the team's colour, though other colours were considered, and rejected as being too close to other Sydney sports teams.[2]Cricket Australia did not allowCricket NSW to use the sky blue colour traditionally associated with New South Wales sports teams.
The team made its debut in the2011-12 Big Bash League season – the inaugural season of the Big Bash League. The team performed poorly in its first few years in the competition, finishing last in each of its first three seasons and second last in its fourth season.
From 2011 to 2014, the Thunder's home ground wasStadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park.[4] The team played its final two games of the2014-15 Big Bash League season at Sydney Showground Stadium after it was unable to use Stadium Australia due to the2015 AFC Asian Cup association football tournament. In June 2015, the Thunder announced the team would leave Stadium Australia and play all home games at Sydney Showground Stadium until the 2024–25 BBL season.[1]
The2015–16 Big Bash League season marked the first year in which the Thunder finished in the top half of the table, finishing 4th overall. Having won the first three games of the season and boasting a squad includingMichael Hussey,Shane Watson,Usman Khawaja andJacques Kallis, the Thunder soon became the favourites to win the tournament. However, the Thunder lost their following four games and were in danger of missing the finals. In their final game of the2015–16 Big Bash League season, the Thunder defeated the Sixers for only the second time in their history to book a finals berth. The Thunder faced theAdelaide Strikers atAdelaide Oval in the first semi final, winning convincingly. The Thunder then faced the Stars in the Finals theMelbourne Stars. The final was played atMelbourne Cricket Ground on 24 January 2016 and resulted in the Thunder defeating the Melbourne Stars by 3 wickets. Michael Hussey announced his retirement from domestic cricket during BBL05, at the conclusion of the tournament he was announced the club's Director of Cricket, responsible for managing recruitment, contracts, facilities and scouting for the BBL squad. The Thunder were the most watched sports team in Australia during 2015-16 with an average TV audience of 1.2m.
Watson was elected to captain the side in 2016.[5][6] Watson captained the Thunder for three seasons, failing to qualify for the finals in each of them.
In 2019, Callum Ferguson was named as the new Thunder captain, subsequently qualifying for the finals during his two seasons in charge. Chris Green and Jason Sangha shared the captaincy role for the COVID-19 affected 2021-22 season as the Thunder were knocked out in their first finals game after finishing 3rd on the ladder.
In a league game on 16 December 2022 against the Adelaide Strikers, the Thunder were dismissed for 15 in 5.5 overs, breaking the record for both the shortest completed innings and the lowest score in one in all men's professional T20 matches.[7]
The MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup gives cricket players from seven cultural backgrounds the chance to experience the fun and excitement of Twenty20 cricket, whilst representing their community. The winning team from each community cricket round will represent their country in the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup Semi Finals, with the two winners of the semi-finals playing off in a Grand Final prior to a Sydney Thunder match at Spotless Stadium.
The Thunder Bus travels around schools and cricket club in Sydney and Regional NSW, it has an interactive quiz and inflatable nets. The Thunder Bus directly engaged with 100,000 children aged between 5- 12 during this period and was seen by over 1 Million people.
Sydney Thunder, like every other team, had a salary cap of $1 million for the first season of theBig Bash League, but in that season they spent almost half of the salary cap on the explosive opening combination ofChris Gayle andDavid Warner. Gayle was pursued byPerth Scorchers but he rejected an offer of $250,000 to stay with the New South Wales team.[8][9]
| Season | W–L | Pos. | Finals | Coach | Captain | Most Runs | Most Wickets | Most Valuable Player | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 2–5 | 8th | DNQ | Shane Duff | David Warner[a] | Chris Gayle – 252 | Scott Coyte – 8 | – | [10][11] |
| 2012–13 | 0–8 | 8th | DNQ | Shane Duff | Chris Rogers[b] | Usman Khawaja – 206 | Dirk Nannes – 11 | – | [12][13] |
| 2013–14 | 1–7 | 8th | DNQ | Chandika Hathurusingha | Michael Hussey | Michael Hussey – 258 | Gurinder Sandhu – 10 | – | [14][15] |
| 2014–15 | 2–5 | 7th | DNQ | Paddy Upton | Michael Hussey[c] | Aiden Blizzard – 258 | Gurinder Sandhu – 8 | – | [16][17] |
| 2015–16 | 4–4 | 4th | C | Paddy Upton | Michael Hussey[d] | Usman Khawaja – 345 | Clint McKay – 18 | Usman Khawaja andShane Watson | [18][19] |
| 2016–17 | 3–5 | 8th | DNQ | Paddy Upton | Shane Watson[e] | Kurtis Patterson – 173 | Fawad Ahmed – 9 | Pat Cummins | [20][21] |
| 2017–18 | 4–6 | 6th | DNQ | Paddy Upton | Shane Watson | Shane Watson – 331 | Fawad Ahmed – 12 | Shane Watson | [22][23] |
| 2018–19 | 6–7 | 6th | DNQ | Shane Bond | Shane Watson | Callum Ferguson – 442 | Daniel Sams – 15 | Callum Ferguson | [24][25] |
| 2019–20 | 6–7 | 5th | CF | Shane Bond | Callum Ferguson | Alex Hales – 576 | Daniel Sams – 30^[f] | Daniel Sams | [26][27] |
| 2020–21 | 8–6 | 3rd | KF | Shane Bond | Callum Ferguson | Alex Hales – 543* | Tanveer Sangha – 21 | Alex Hales | [28][29] |
| 2021–22 | 9–5 | 3rd | KF | Trevor Bayliss | Usman Khawaja[g] | Jason Sangha – 445 | Daniel Sams – 19 | Sam Billings | [30][31] |
| 2022–23 | 7–7 | 4th | EF | Trevor Bayliss | Jason Sangha[h] | Ollie Davies – 333 | Daniel Sams – 18 | Chris Green | [32][33] |
| 2023–24 | 1–7 | 8th | DNQ | Trevor Bayliss | Chris Green | Alex Hales – 258 | Daniel Sams – 12 | Tanveer Sangha | [34][35] |
| 2024–25 | 5–3 | 3rd | RU | Trevor Bayliss | David Warner | David Warner – 405 | Chris Green – 12 | David Warner | [36][37] |
| DNQ | Did not qualify | SF | Semi-finalists | * | Led the league |
| EF | Lost the Eliminator | RU | Runners-up | ^ | League record |
| KF | Lost the Knockout | CF | Lost the Challenger | C | Champions |
There have been 12captains in the Thunder's history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
| Captain | Span | M | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W–L% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 2011–25 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 66.67 |
| Daniel Smith | 2011–12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Chris Rogers | 2012 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Gayle | 2013 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Hussey | 2013–16 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 39.13 |
| Chris Hartley | 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Shane Watson | 2016–19 | 31 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 43.33 |
| Ben Rohrer | 2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Callum Ferguson | 2019–21 | 32 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 51.61 |
| Chris Green | 2021–24 | 32 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 43.33 |
| Jason Sangha | 2022 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Usman Khawaja | 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Venue | Games hosted by season | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Total | |
| Accor Stadium | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| ENGIE Stadium | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 40 |
| Lavington Sports Ground | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Manuka Oval | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
The squad of the Sydney Thunder for the2025–26 Big Bash League season as of 6 August 2025.[38][39]
| No. | Name | Nat. | Birth Date | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Additional Info. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| 1 | Cameron Bancroft |  | 19 November 1992 | Right-handed | Right-armfast | |
| 9 | Ollie Davies | | 15 October 2000 | Right-handed | Right-armoff break | |
| 5 | Sam Konstas | | 2 October 2005 | Right-handed | Right-armleg spin | |
| 45 | Blake Nikitaras | | 29 April 2000 | Left-handed | Left-armmedium | |
| 31 | David Warner | | 27 October 1986 | Left-handed | Right-armmedium | Captain |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 93 | Chris Green | | 1 October 1993 | Right-handed | Right-armoff spin | |
| 29 | Shadab Khan |  | 4 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-armleg spin | Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum) |
| 44 | Nathan McAndrew | | 14 July 1993 | Right-handed | Right-armfast | |
| 95 | Daniel Sams | | 27 October 1992 | Right-handed | Left-armfast | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 77 | Sam Billings |  | 15 June 1991 | Right-handed | — | Overseas Draft Pick (Gold) |
| 22 | Matthew Gilkes | | 21 August 1999 | Left-handed | — | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| 8 | Wes Agar | | 5 February 1997 | Right-handed | Right-armfast | |
| 54 | Tom Andrews | | 7 October 1994 | Left-handed | Left-arm orthodox | |
| 69 | Lockie Ferguson |  | 13 June 1991 | Right-handed | Right-armfast | Overseas Draft Pick (Platinum) |
| 34 | Ryan Hadley | | 17 November 1998 | Right-handed | Right-armfast | |
| 17 | Tanveer Sangha | | 26 November 2001 | Right-handed | Right-armleg spin | |
The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Thunder after making their debut in thenational men's team (the period they spent as both a Thunder squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):
Fidel Edwards (BBL|01)Chris Gayle (BBL|01–02)Martin Guptill (BBL|02)Azhar Mahmood (BBL|02)Matt Prior (BBL|02)
Tillakaratne Dilshan (BBL|03)Ajantha Mendis (BBL|03)Eoin Morgan (BBL|03–04, 06)Chris Woakes (BBL|03)
Cameron Delport (BBL|04)Jacques Kallis (BBL|04–05)Jason Roy (BBL|04)Henry Nicholls (BBL|05)Andre Russell (BBL|05–06)Carlos Brathwaite (BBL|06)James Vince (BBL|06–07)Jos Buttler (BBL|07–08)Mitchell McClenaghan (BBL|07)Anton Devcich (BBL|08)Chris Jordan (BBL|08)Joe Root (BBL|08)Alex Hales (BBL|09–13)Chris Morris (BBL|09)Sam Billings (BBL|10–11, 14–15)Adam Milne (BBL|14)Mohammad Hasnain (BBL|11, 14)Saqib Mahmood (BBL|11)
Fazalhaq Farooqi (BBL|12)Usman Qadir (BBL|12)Rilee Rossouw (BBL|12)Zaman Khan (BBL|13)Tom Kohler-Cadmore (BBL|13)Lockie Ferguson (BBL|14–15)George Garton (BBL|14)Sherfane Rutherford (BBL|14)Shadab Khan (BBL|15)| Opposition | M | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W–L% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Strikers | 24 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 45.45 |
| Brisbane Heat | 22 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 33.33 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 23 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 36.36 |
| Melbourne Renegades | 19 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 44.44 |
| Melbourne Stars | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 54.55 |
| Perth Scorchers | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
| Sydney Sixers | 28 | 8 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 30.77 |
| Total | 158 | 64 | 87 | 0 | 7 | 42.38 |
Source:[40]
Source:[40]
When the league began in 2011,Cricket Australia decided they would place two teams in Sydney. With the core group of players for both sides coming from theNew South Wales cricket team, this rivalry automatically becomes widely anticipated in the city.[citation needed] In the first four seasons of the league the Thunder lost all seven Sydney derby games to theSydney Sixers.
| Date | Winner | Margin | Venue | Attendance | Player of the match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 January 2012 | Sixers | 17 Runs (D/L)[41] | ANZ Stadium | 31,262 | Mitchell Starc |
| 8 December 2012 | Sixers | 7 wickets[42] | SCG | 15,279 | Brad Haddin |
| 30 December 2012 | Sixers | 4 wickets[43] | ANZ Stadium | 20,986 | Daniel Hughes |
| 21 December 2013 | Sixers | 6 wickets[44] | SCG | 18,180 | Nic Maddinson |
| 25 January 2014 | Sixers | 8 wickets[45] | ANZ Stadium | 25,726 | Nathan Lyon |
| 27 December 2014 | Sixers | 16 runs[46] | ANZ Stadium | 32,823 | Aiden Blizzard |
| 22 January 2015 | Sixers | 4 wickets[47] | SCG | 36,487 | Jordan Silk |
| 17 December 2015 | Thunder | 36 runs[48] | Spotless Stadium | 18,287 | Michael Hussey |
| 16 January 2016 | Thunder | 46 runs[49] | SCG | 38,456 | Shane Watson |
| 20 December 2016 | Sixers | 9 wickets[50] | Spotless Stadium | 21,798 | Moises Henriques |
| 14 January 2017 | Thunder | 8 wickets[51] | SCG | 39,756 | Fawad Ahmed |
| 19 December 2017 | Thunder | 5 wickets[52] | Spotless Stadium | 21,589 | Shane Watson |
| 13 January 2018 | Sixers | 8 wickets[53] | SCG | 36,458 | Chris Green |
| 24 December 2018 | Thunder | 21 runs[54] | Spotless Stadium | 10,508 | Jos Buttler |
| 2 February 2019 | Sixers | 9 wickets[55] (D/L) | SCG | 34,385 | Sean Abbott |
| 28 December 2019 | Sixers | Super Over[56] | SCG | 35,296 | Tom Curran |
| 18 January 2020 | Thunder | 4 runs[57] (D/L) | Giants Stadium | 15,476 | Chris Morris |
| 13 January 2021 | Sixers | 5 wickets[58] (D/L) | Manuka Oval | Steve O'Keefe | |
| 21 January 2021 | Thunder | 46 runs[59] | Adelaide Oval | Alex Hales | |
| 26 December 2021 | Sixers | 30 runs[60] (D/L) | Sydney Showground Stadium | Dan Christian | |
| 15 January 2022 | Sixers | 60 runs[61] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Steve O'Keefe | |
| 8 January 2023 | Sixers | 7 wickets | Sydney Showground Stadium | Sean Abbott | |
| 21 January 2023 | Sixers | 125 runs | Sydney Cricket Ground | Steve Smith |
| Participating teams |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | ||
| Squads | ||
| Statistics and records | ||
| Lists | ||
| Related articles | ||
