Chamari Athapaththu commits to Sydney Thunder with three-year WBBL deal

Sydney Thunder has secured the signature of Sri Lanka's cricket captain, Chamari Athapaththu, for the next three seasons of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). This comes as a pre-draft signing under the new multi-year contract system, allowing clubs to sign one overseas player per season for up to three years outside of the overseas draft.

Chamari was a late addition to Sydney Thunder last year but quickly made a significant impact. She was the second-highest run-scorer in the league, with 511 runs at an average of 42.58 and a strike rate of 129.69, including five half-centuries. She also excelled with the ball, claiming nine wickets with a best of 3-20 against the Sydney Sixers and maintaining an economy rate of 6.79. Her outstanding performance earned her four Player of the Match awards, the Player of the Tournament title, and the Alex Blackwell Medal as Sydney Thunder’s player of the year.

Expressing her excitement about the new contract, Chamari stated, “Committing to Sydney Thunder for the next three seasons was an easy decision because I believe in the vision of this club, and I want to be part of its future success. There’s so much to love about my Sydney Thunder family. My teammates are not just colleagues; they are friends who push each other to be better every day, (which) is important to me,"

“The support from the Thunder Nation is also incredibly special. Western Sydney is the heart and soul of Sydney Thunder and representing such a diverse and vibrant community is a privilege to have. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m so excited for what’s ahead,” she further added.

Her signing follows the multi-year deals of rising star Georgia Voll and veteran fast bowler Taneale Peschel. Trent Copeland, Sydney Thunder’s General Manager and a former Australia fast-bowler, expressed his delight at Chamari's return. 

“Chamari is obviously an exceptional cricket player, but she is also an exceptional human being who is team first and fan first. To see the way she embraced and engaged with our members and fans last summer was something pretty special and on the field she had one of the WBBL’s great seasons"

“We are looking forward to Chamari returning and bringing our fans so much joy, particularly our multicultural fans that got behind her in such numbers last season."