The Sydney Thunder are an Australian women's Twenty20 cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales. They are one of two teams from Sydney to compete in the Women's Big Bash League, the other being the Sydney Sixers. The Thunder have claimed two WBBL titles, winning the league's inaugural championship and the 2020–21 title.
History Formation One of eight founding WBBL teams, the Sydney Thunder are aligned with the men's team of the same name. At the official WBBL launch on 10 July 2015, Rene Farrell was unveiled as the team's first-ever player signing. Joanne Broadbent was appointed as inaugural coach, while Alex Blackwell became the inaugural captain.
The Thunder played their first game on 6 December against the Sydney Sixers at Howell Oval in Penrith, winning by nine wickets with 40 balls remaining.
Rivalries Brisbane Heat The Thunder have combined with the Brisbane Heat to produce several "thrillers", including:
12 January 2019, Cazaly's Stadium: Responding to the Thunder's first innings total of 7/171, Heat opener Beth Mooney recorded her maiden WBBL century but was then dismissed in the 17th over. With the Heat still requiring 19 runs off the last twelve balls, Harmanpreet Kaur—having already claimed two wickets, including the stumping of Mooney, for just ten runs—came on to bowl her third over. The Heat, primarily through Delissa Kimmince, scored 13 runs off the over to swing the momentum once more. Laura Harris then hit the winning runs against the bowling of Nicola Carey with three wickets in hand and three balls remaining, making it Brisbane's highest successful run chase. The result helped to set up a semi-final encounter between the two teams on the following weekend. 19 January 2019, Drummoyne Oval: In the WBBL|04 semi-finals, the lower-ranked Heat posted a first innings total of 7/140. After struggling through the middle overs of the run chase, a late charge by the Thunder brought them back into the contest to leave a required five runs off the final delivery for victory. The last ball, sent down by spinner Jess Jonassen, was struck flat and cleanly to deep square leg by batter Nicola Carey. Jonassen immediately signalled disappointment as the ball set sail for beyond the boundary rope, therefore scoring six runs and clinching the match for the Thunder. However, Heat fielder Haidee Birkett made enough ground in time to take a "miracle" catch just inside the field of play to knock the Thunder out of the tournament. The match, in conjunction with the other semi-final played later in the day, was hailed as a showcase of "the irrefutable rise of women's cricket" and "sport with drama, skill and unpredictability – a potent recipe for success". 20 October 2019, North Sydney Oval: Thunder batters Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield set a new WBBL record for highest fourth-wicket partnership in their pursuit of the Heat's 9/150. The unbeaten 97-run stand, which got the Thunder over the line with seven balls to spare, was noted for the 20-year age gap between the two batting partners. At 16 years and 185 days, Litchfield also set a new WBBL record as the youngest player to score a half-century.
Perth Scorchers The Thunder and the Perth Scorchers have met in two semi-finals: 21 January 2016, Adelaide Oval: Defending a total of 6/118, the Thunder restricted the Scorchers to 9/110 and claimed victory by eight runs. 1 February 2018, Perth Stadium: In the first innings, the Scorchers posted a total of 2/148. The Thunder were reeling by the 11th over of the run chase, having lost five wickets for just 46 runs. Fran Wilson piled on 46 runs from 28 balls late in the match but Perth, led by Emma King's 3/17, easily defended the target to win by 27 runs.
Due to a scheduling quirk, the two teams did not meet in the Thunder's home state of New South Wales until the 2020–21 Women's Big Bash League season (when the season was played entirely in Sydney due to uncertainty surrounding state border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic). From 2017 to 2018, five of their regular season encounters were played at Lilac Hill Park and characterised by close finishes, including: 7 January 2018: The Scorchers were well poised to chase down their target of 146 until a catch on the boundary by Thunder fielder Lisa Griffith dismissed Nicole Bolton for 71 in the 18th over. On the last ball of the match, Scorchers batter Mathilda Carmichael was run out by a metre while attempting a game-tying run, therefore securing victory for the Thunder by the narrowest of margins. 29 December 2018: The Thunder were catapulted to a score of 5/179 by a late 49-run partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Stafanie Taylor (which included 21 runs off the 18th over against the bowling of Taneale Peschel, who had taken 1/12 in her first three overs). Eight overs into the second innings, captain Meg Lanning had scored 71 of the Scorchers' 83 runs. Although Lanning was run out for 76 in the tenth over, Elyse Villani went on to score 66 not out, guiding the Scorchers to a six-wicket victory with one ball remaining. In doing so, the Scorchers set a new WBBL record for highest successful run chase.
Sydney Sixers At the WBBL 02 season launch, Thunder captain Alex Blackwell said the Sydney Sixers "desperately want to beat us and we desperately want to beat them. It's set up to be a really good rivalry." In a joint media conference ahead of WBBL 05, Sixers captain Ellyse Perry said she considers the Thunder "our biggest rivals" while the Thunder's Rachel Priest claimed "it was a really intense rivalry right when I started with the team". Noteworthy matches include:
24 January 2016, Melbourne Cricket Ground: Having lost their first six games of the season, the Sixers stormed into the WBBL|01 final by winning nine consecutive matches. Their streak would come to an end in a low-scoring championship decider plagued by "probably the worst fielding seen all tournament" from both teams. Ultimately the Thunder scraped home by three wickets with three balls remaining to claim the inaugural Women's Big Bash title. Erin Osborne earned Player of the Final honours for her bowling figures of 3/21 off four overs. 14 January 2017, Sydney Cricket Ground: Defending a first innings total of 138, Sixers off-spinner Lauren Smith conceded seven runs in the last over to tie the game. With scores still level after the subsequent super over, the Thunder were awarded the win on the boundary count back rule. Despite the intense rivalry between the two teams, the match was noted for a sporting gesture by Thunder captain Alex Blackwell who, suspecting she interfered with the batter, withdrew an appeal that would have led to the dismissal of the Sixers' Sara McGlashan. 15 November 2019, Drummoyne Oval: The Sixers cruised to a comfortable 40-run victory, having also defeated the Thunder by 49 runs in the season opener—Perry top-scoring with 81 on both occasions. This marked the first time either team would sweep their fellow Sydneysiders in the regular season.
Captaincy records
There have been six captains in the Thunder's history, including matches featuring an acting captain.
CaptainSpanWonLostTiedAlex Blackwell2015–20196036230161.02Rachael Haynes2019–20224215220540.54Hannah Darlington202113480133.33Heather Knight202314760153.85Sammy-Jo Johnson2023101000Phoebe Litchfield2024–25221190255 Source:
Season summaries
SeasonFinalsCoachCaptainMost RunsMost WicketsRefs2015–169–5*1st*CAlex BlackwellAlex Blackwell – 410Rene Farrell – 26*Stafanie Taylor2016–176–76thDNQJoanne BroadbentAlex BlackwellAlex Blackwell – 386Nicola Carey – 14Harmanpreet Kaur2017–182ndSFJoanne BroadbentAlex BlackwellCarey, Farrell – 17Rachael Haynes9–42ndSFJoanne BroadbentAlex BlackwellRachael Haynes – 376Stafanie Taylor – 19Rachel Priest5–86thDNQTrevor GriffinAlex Blackwell – 317Hannah Darlington7–53rdCTrevor GriffinHeather Knight – 446Heather Knight4–87thDNQTrevor GriffinHannah Darlington – 16Smriti Mandhana8thDNQTrevor GriffinRachael HaynesSamantha Bates – 12Phoebe Litchfield7–64thEF6–33rdCFHeather Knight20254–57thDNQLisa KeightleyPhoebe LitchfieldPhoebe Litchfield – 271Shabnim Ismail – 12Heather Knight
Legend 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
Home grounds VenueGames hosted by season01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11TotalBankstown Oval – – – 1 1 – N/A – – – – 2Blacktown ISP Oval – 4 – 1 1 2 3 – – – 11Cricket Central – – – – – – – 4 – – 4Drummoyne Oval – – – 1 2 2 – – 4 4 13Howell Oval 1 2 1 – – – – – – – 4Hurstville Oval – – – – – 2 – – – – 2Lavington Sports Ground – 1 1 – – – – – – – 2Manuka Oval – – 1 1 1 – 1 – – – 4North Dalton Park – – – – 1 – – – – – 1North Sydney Oval – 1 2 1 1 3 2 3 1 – 14Robertson Oval – – 2 – – – – – – – 2Sydney Showground Stadium 1 1 – 3 – 6 – – – – 11University Oval No. 1 1 – – – – – – – – – 1
Current squad The squad of the Sydney Thunder for the 2026 Women's Big Bash League season as of 6 October 2026. Players with international caps are listed in bold.
NameBirth dateBatting styleBowling styleAdditional Info.Batters24Laura HarrisRight-handedRight-arm medium5Heather KnightRight-handedRight-arm off spin4Anika LearoydRight-handedRight-arm leg spin18Phoebe LitchfieldLeft-handedRight-arm leg spinCaptain13Georgia VollRight-handedRight-arm off spinAll-rounders25Right-arm medium81Lucy FinnRight-handedRight-arm medium9Hasrat GillLeft-handedRight-arm leg spinWicket-keepers21Tahlia WilsonRight-handedBowlers4Jemma BarsbyLeft-handedRight-arm off spin, Left-arm orthodox34Samantha BatesRight-handedLeft-arm orthodox44Nicola HancockRight-handedRight-arm medium
Players Australian representatives The following is a list of cricketers who have played for the Thunder after making their debut in the national women's team (the period they spent as both a Thunder squad member and an Australian-capped player is in brackets):
Overseas marquees
Associate rookies
Honours
Champions: 2 – WBBL01, WBBL06 Runners-Up: 0 Minor Premiers: 1 – WBBL01 Finals Appearances: 6 – WBBL01, WBBL03, WBBL04, WBBL06, WBBL09, WBBL10 Wooden Spoons: 1 – WBBL08
Statistics and Awards
Team Stats Win–loss record: OppositionWonLostTiedAdelaide Strikers207100341.18Brisbane Heat2512130048Hobart Hurricanes221280260Melbourne Renegades2111100052.38Melbourne Stars211340476.47Perth Scorchers2310120145.45Sydney Sixers238120340Total155736901351.41 Highest score in an innings: 5/212 (20 overs) vs Adelaide Strikers, 1 November 2024 Highest successful chase: 3/173 (19 overs) vs Perth Scorchers, 15 November 2024 Lowest successful defence: 9/104 (20 overs) vs Melbourne Stars, 17 January 2016 Largest victory: Batting first: 64 runs vs Adelaide Strikers, 1 November 2024 Batting second: 50 balls remaining vs Melbourne Renegades, 27 December 2016 Longest winning streak: 5 matches Longest losing streak: 6 matches
Source:
Individual Stats Most runs: Rachael Haynes – 2,142 Highest score in an innings: Smriti Mandhana – 114* (64) vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021 Highest partnership: Smriti Mandhana and Tahlia Wilson – 125* vs Melbourne Renegades, 17 November 2021 Most wickets: Samantha Bates – 128 Best bowling figures in an innings: Hannah Darlington – 5/10 (4 overs) vs Melbourne Stars, 10 November 2023
Most catches (fielder): Phoebe Litchfield – 44 Most dismissals (wicket-keeper): Tahlia Wilson – 41 (24 catches, 17 stumpings)
Source:
Individual Awards Player of the Match: Stafanie Taylor – 8 Alex Blackwell – 7 Samantha Bates – 6 Chamari Athapaththu, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Rachael Haynes, and Heather Knight – 4 Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Phoebe Litchfield, Naomi Stalenberg, Georgia Voll, and Tahlia Wilson – 3 Nicola Carey, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Rachel Priest – 2 Lauren Cheatle, Lisa Griffith, Smriti Mandhana, Erin Osborne, Deepti Sharma, Lauren Smith, Belinda Vakarewa, and Issy Wong – 1 WBBL Player of the Final: