Earning the first pick in last month's Draft lottery, Thunder approached the WBBL Draft table with their choice of the world's best talent.
Highly touted as the #1 selection, South African Marizanne Kapp was the first name called in the inaugural WBBL Draft, with the Perth Scorchers opting not to retain the superstar for the upcoming summer.
One of the world’s top all-rounders, Kapp will join the Thunder after two seasons with the Scorchers and six seasons with the Sydney Sixers.
A key piece of the Scorchers title last summer, the 33-year-old remains one of the most consistent performers in world cricket.
Selected at Pick 9, English skipper Heather Knight is set to make her return to the WBBL – and to Thunder – re-joining her former side this season.
A member of Thunder’s WBBL|06 title outfit, Knight was the club’s leading run-scorer in the championship winning season before opting to sit out of the competition last summer.
English up-and-comer Lauren Bell rounded out Thunder’s WBBL additions, with the quick selected by the club at Pick 18.
In the BBL, English superstar Alex Hales is set to remain in lime green this summer, taken in the first round at Pick 5. The top-order bat and longtime fan favourite will return to the league for a fifth consecutive summer.
Pakistan speedster Zaman Khan was the club's final pick of the night, selected at Pick 13.
Head of Syndey Thunder, Andrew Gilchrist said:
“We’re incredibly pleased with the results of both the WBBL and BBL Overseas Player Drafts. We had a clear strategy in place and we couldn’t be happier with the five players we’ve selected.
“Marizanne is one of the world’s best all-rounders and an obvious #1 selection. We’re looking forward to welcoming Heather and Alex back to the Thunder, and excited to welcome Lauren and Zaman into the Thunder family."
Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s General Manager, Big Bash Leagues, said:
"A big congratulations must go to Marizanne Kapp on being the first player picked in the inaugural WBBL Overseas Play Draft.
"It was a star-studded list of players to choose from and obviously a tough choice for the Scorchers to make in terms of who they'd retain, but Marizanne is a world-class player and we're wrapped to have her back in the WBBL this season.
"It was pleasing to see some new faces picked up, with the likes of Lauren Bell and Dani Gibson set to feature in the tournament for the first time.
"There's no doubt the first WBBL Draft has been a huge success and we look forward to seeing how the BBL Draft plays out this evening.”
“We are excited by the return of the KFC BBL Draft, welcoming some of the world’s best players to the competition and kicking off the countdown to the summer of Big Bash.
"The second KFC BBL Draft brought lots of action with some huge new names joining the competition, fan favourites returning to Clubs, as well as some big moves with a number of players set to call a new Club home for the season ahead.
"We'd like to congratulate all Clubs on their recruitment and look forward to seeing the players put on a show for all fans in BBL|13.
Sydney Thunder Weber WBBL|09 Draft selections:
Pick 1: Marizanne Kapp
Pick 9: Heather Knight
Pick 18: Lauren Bell
Sydney Thunder KFC BBL|13 Draft selections:
Pick 6: Alex Hales
Pick 13: Zaman Khan