WBBL preview: Eye on the future for rejuvenated Thunder

Last season: 1-10 win-loss (3 no results). Finished eighth.

WBBL|09 draft picks: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa, pick 1), Heather Knight (England, pick 9), Lauren Bell (England, pick 18)

Coach: Lisa Keightley (new)

Squad: Sam Bates, Lauren Bell (England), Paris Bowdler, Hannah Darlington, Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Saskia Horley, Ebony Hoskin, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Heather Knight (England), Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Olivia Porter, Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson. Replacement overseas player: Chamari Athapaththu

In: Lauren Bell, Marizanne Kapp (draft pick, previously Scorchers), Heather Knight (draft pick), Ebony Hoskin, Claire Moore, Paris Bowdler, Saskia Horley, Chamari Athapaththu (direct replacement signing)

Out: Rachael Haynes (retired), Chloe Tryon (drafted by Sixers), Tammy Beaumont (direct nomination to Renegades), Amy Jones (direct nomination to Scorchers), Jessica Davidson, Corinne Hall, Belinda Vakarewa

Possible best XI: Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia Wilson (wk), Heather Knight, Marizanne Kapp, Anika Learoyd, Saskia Horley, Sammy Jo-Johnson, Hannah Darlington, Lauren Smith, Sam Bates, Lauren Bell

Player availability: Marizanne Kapp should be available for the entire season as South Africa have no conflicting tours. England are due to tour India in December but the dates are yet to be announced, so its TBC what impact this might have, if any, on Knight and Bell. Their fourth international Chamari Athapaththu is also expected to be available for the entire season.

Inside word with Lisa Keightley

The Thunder have brought together a rich mix of experience and youth, including both new and familiar faces, in the group incoming coach Lisa Keightley will lead this season.

Draft strategy: The Thunder were the only club to use all three draft picks, taking Marizanne Kapp with pick No.1 and following up with Heather Knight and Lauren Bell.

"Marizanne, we know what we're going to get with her – she brings years of experience, she's an exciting player and really consistent.

"If we can put our exciting talented bowlers in amongst and around her, I think they will only grow and get better as we go through the competition and throughout the years. And then we've got Lauren Bell who's an exciting bowler from England and has done well in the T20 format."

The captain: Heather Knight will lead the club this year following the retirement of Rachael Haynes. Keightley coached England from 2019-2022 and knows the English skipper well.

"In Heather we've got a fantastic leader, who's really consistent in her behaviours and has really good leadership qualities, and she knows all the players - obviously she missed out last year through injuries but she played there when they won (in WBBL|06).

"But what we're looking to do over time is develop some leadership within our group, so hopefully we'll have one of those players come through and captain the Thunder (in the future) but for this year Heather wants to give back and really provide support for the local homegrown players."

Litchfield's role: Phoebe Litchfield has opened for the Thunder previous, then was the Northern Superchargers top scorer batting at No.3 in The Hundred in August, before a breakout series as a quick-scoring finisher at No.6 for Australia against West Indies. So, where will the 20-year-old prodigy line up this season?

"The conversations I have heard with her, it's all about her opening. But we do know, depending on what our line-up is, she's showing that she's very adaptable and can bat anywhere. But we'll definitely be looking for her to open up top and continue to develop and expand her game like she's been doing."

Chamari Athapaththu as a fourth international: The Thunder raised some eyebrows when they unveiled the Sri Lanka captain as an overseas replacement player who will be with the club throughout WBBL|09 alongside their three draftees, who will also be available throughout the season.

The club can only have three on their primary list at a time, and put in a request to the league to rotate a replacement player onto the main list in place of one of the others. But unlike local replacement players, who can only be removed for specific reasons including injury, illness, study leave and international commitments, the circumstances in which the league will approve a change in overseas players are less rigid.

Keightley explained the addition of Athapaththu was possible due to extra room in the salary cap, and how the Sri Lankan might be deployed this season.

"We were keen to bring in another overseas player to put a bit more experience in and around our young list. She will obviously help if Heather, Bell or Kapp get injured, or if we have to rest players through international (obligations) and that gives us a nice opportunity to potentially change our team. We're just being a little bit more strategic there, to make sure we've got all bases covered with a young list. And we're aware that if we make the finals, England players will be leaving at some stage so it helps us with that as well.

"To have Chamari in and around our young batters is great for our team and I'm really hoping that I can support her to actually come out here and help her play like she plays for Sri Lanka."

Young player to watch: "We've got some really talented youngsters mainly from New South Wales and ACT and I'm looking forward to the next three years, the development and the growth in these players. Year one will be seeing where they're at and giving them opportunity. We've got Claire Moore coming across from the Sixers and hopefully she can have opportunity, she did really well at the Under-19 World Cup. There's Phoebe Litchfield, Talia Wilson is another player who will get opportunity that's been there, Hannah Darlington's come back from injury and is looking really good so it's exciting to see how she goes this year fully fit. Anika Learoyd seems really exciting and she scored got a couple WNCL of hundreds last year so hopefully she'll get opportunity this year to show what she's got and continue her development through the T20 format."

Team to beat: "I think Melbourne Stars are looking pretty good in their batting, it looks quite destructive. For the Strikers, nothing changes too much for them and with their bowling line-up, they're always competitive. From what I hear the Scorchers might have a really good replacement for Danni Wyatt (reports say Natalie Sciver-Brunt will sign) so with that replacement if that is correct, that will make them very competitive. The Renegades look like they have got a really good list with Hayley Matthews - so I'm really rattling off everyone but as you know, it depends on how everyone 

WBBL|09 Team Guides

Adelaide Strikers | Brisbane Heat | Hobart Hurricanes | Melbourne Renegades | Melbourne Stars | Perth Scorchers | Sydney Sixers | Sydney Thunder

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