Few people remember that once the Thunder and Sixers were one squad that played in a league that no longer exists. To most cricket fans, this squad is known for its bright green uniform, which sharply distinguishes them from other Austrian teams. Like most squads in the league, this team was founded in 2011 and in the same year debuted in the first season of the BBL. Let`s take a closer look at the history of wins and downfalls.

The history of Sydney Thunder

As previously mentioned the team debuted in the league in 2011 this debut was rather unsuccessful as the squad finished the year in last place, eighth out of eight. In general, the first few years of bbl performances for the team were very unsuccessful, they finished either in last place or in second last place.

For three years, from 2011 to 2014, the home stadium for them was the stadium in Olympic Park. Due to the fact that this stadium also often hosts the finals of international tournaments, the team had to leave it because it disrupted their matches and training schedule.

Starting in 2015, they moved to a new stadium within the city, where they plan to stay until 2025.
The 2015-16 season is the team’s most successful season to date.

This season, they finally managed to turn around years of failure and finish the season at the top of the standings. They took fourth place overall. This season started quite strongly for the them. They won the first three matches in a row and soon became the favorite to win the tournament.

They lost their next three matches and seemed to have zero chance of making the finals. In the game for a place in the final, the team faced their old rivals Sixers, and emerged victorious in the Sydney Derby. The next squad on the way to victory was the Adelaide Strikers, which the Thunders easily defeated. in the final, the squad played against the Melbourne Stars and lost thus not being able to get such an important victory in their first successful BBL year.

But, not everything was so bad in the women’s team of the same name. Just hours before the men’s league final, women’s team claimed their first win in years. The year was also a landmark as it became Australia’s most popular sport organisation with an audience of almost one and a half million people.

Sydney Thunder in Big Bash League through the years

The squad started its performance in the league from a rather low position and in the first three years took 8th place in the tournament table and could not qualify for the next games. The 2014/2015 season was a little better and they finished in 7th place but were unable to qualify for the higher category games. The year 2015\16 was one of the most successful in the history of the team, they managed to reach the finals, which they lost to the Stars, and took fourth place in the rating table.

In the next three years, they again suffered a series of failures. They finished 2016\2017 in eighth place and the next two in sixth and again failed to qualify for further games. Starting 2019-20, they began to adjust the rules, they took third place after the final matches and 5th in the overall ranking of the tournament.

In the last two seasons, they has shown certain stability. In the last seasons, they finished fourth in the finals and third overall. These results give us hope that this season might be even more successful or at least as stable as the last one.

Sydney Derby

As we said earlier once the Thunder and Sixers teams were one team. Thus, after the reformatting of the league, the city ended up with two cricket squads at once. You don’t need to be a big cricket fan to understand that the matches of these two squads against each other are the most anticipated event of the entire season in the city.

This cricket derby was called Sydney Smash. Since 2011, they have played 19 matches against each other. So far the leading number of victories is Sixers who won this match 12 times, while Thunders managed to win only seven times.

Sydney Thunder’s performance in the 2021\2022 season

Last year they finished third overall and fourth in the finals after losing a match against Adelaide. In total, the team played 14 matches, 9 of which it managed to win. the most successful was the match against the Melbourne Renegades in which Thunders managed to win with an advantage of 129 runs.

The most crushing defeat was inflicted by their old rivals from Sydney during one of the games within the Smash. Sixers won the match by 60 runs. The outcomes of all matches look like this:

Sydney Thunder players and famous members

As of today, the squad consists of 24 players, most of whom are Australians, there are also foreign players from England, New Zealand, West Indies, North Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Ireland. The captain is Jason Sangha and the principal coach is Trevor Bayliss.

Also, the composition this year will significantly strengthen the contract that was signed with David Warner. He is an extremely experienced player from Australia who has previously captained the Australian cricket squad. It is also worth watching how Calum Ferguson will play this year.

This player will be one of the key factors in leading to success, especially after his success last year with the bat and also as the captain. And don’t forget about Alex Hales who had the best result in runs last season in the game.

The fans and have high hopes for Usman Khawaja, who holds the record for the number of runs for Sydney for all their appearances during participation in the Big Bash League. Experts predict that his contribution to the game can make them champions in the new year. Besides, you should not forget about Ben Cutting, Shane Watson, and other players who showed high results in previous years.

What are the pros and cons of Sydney Thunder?

Last year, this squad was one of the contenders for the victory, so we should expect an intense fight for the first place. Among the obvious advantage of this team is a stable skeleton of versatile players who can run a lot and score the ball with a bat in the goal.

It is also worth remembering that there are quite a few older players, but their advantage is their experience on the playing field. Also, it is one of the best balanced in terms of experienced players and young talents who will match their senior colleagues. A mixture of all these factors gives a more than decent chance to win the year.

There are a number of factors that can significantly weaken them this year. Rumors about a possible transfer of Khawaja make them weak and unstable. Because in the case of his transfer, the problem arises for the management that they will not be able to find a replacement quickly, and all the players in the squad who could claim his place are not experienced enough.

Such a drastic roster change puts added pressure on players like Davis (because it’s too much responsibility for him), and it’s not the best place for Billings to showcase his skills. Most likely, Chris Green will become the new captain, but even he will not be an equal replacement for Khawaja.

There are also ideas about what was better to do as the captain of Billings, who already had a similar experience when he played for the England. We will know the final decision of the management only at the beginning of the year when the starting lineups will be announced.

How to bet on Sydney Thunder?

Cricket is not a seasonal sport, which means that you can bet on these games all year round, without a break. If you are interested in this sport and betting on it, you need to pay attention to a few nuances, which we will introduce to you below.

Number one formats. In this sport, matches differ in format, which affects the duration of the game, its order, and a huge number of other parameters. Squads play differently in different formats – some play better at 1st level, and some manage to show excellent results in games with limited overs.

There is a pattern – Indian players, due to insufficient funding, and also because of the difference in climate, do not show the best game on the road. But players from Australia demonstrate excellent performance on all fields, thus they are a good betting option.

Weather. They can have a huge impact on the performance of a sports game. Matches go on for several hours in a row and a clear day can easily be replaced by heavy rain. In unsuitable climatic conditions, players will not show the best result, which is important to consider when making a forecast.

As in other sports, in cricket there are key figures on the field – here they are referred to as batsmen and bowlers.

Each squad has its own outsiders and its own stars. Thus, one professional batsman can turn the tide of the game. To predict the results of the meeting and to bet on them, you need to study the list of promising players and highlight the favorites. By the way, some stars, surprisingly, are people of mood, showing excellent results at the moment when the “stars align”.

Why should you bet on Sydney Thunder?

It’s all about the relatively low popularity of cricket among those who bet – most of the strong forecasters simply do not mess with this game. There are very complex rules, long matches, many features, and nuances. Not everyone wants to watch a 6-hour broadcast.

Finally, cricket is practically not played in Asian countries and in the USA, professional bettors from these countries are not interested in this sport. The main backbone is made up of amateurs who are passionate about the game and root for one of the teams.

You should choose a bookmaker from a country where cricket is immensely popular, like Australia, or a bookmaker which has a wide range of sports to bet on. Our recommended bookmakers are Loyalbet, Helabet, Megapari, RichPrize, 888starz, Megapari, Crickex.

Can Sydney Thunder win BBL in 2023?

If the squad manages to solve the problems listed in the paragraphs about weaknesses, then it will be one of the bright contenders for victory this year. The stability with which they performed in the last two years and the practical invariance of the team’s composition testify in favor of this.

This means that the starting lineup is experienced and well played, which will allow them to avoid mistakes and use their experience to solve difficult game situations. Fans should carefully follow all their games because it is possible that this year will be triumphant.