Australian top-order batter David Warner returns to the Big Bash as he inked a two-year deal with Sydney Thunder on Sunday. Warner will join the Thunders after Australia’s international games in January 2023. He will be available for five regular season matches - including the summer's second blockbuster Sydney Smash against the Sixers - and the finals.

Warner has previously played for the Thunders for two games in the first and third BBL seasons where he scored 102 (not out) and  50. He also played for Sydney Sixers in the 2012-13 edition, where he was dismissed for a second-ball duck while playing against Thunders.

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The Australian stalwart is extremely excited to return to the Big Bash League and play for the club where he started his tournament career. "I’m really excited to get back to the Big Bash with the club where I started. I care deeply about the game, and I am conscious that the conditions that I enjoy as a professional cricketer have largely come from other senior players who have come before me. That is how the game is structured and I understand that my contribution to the future of the BBL will hopefully benefit the next generation of players long after I am retired", Warner said.

Warner then addressed the impact of his family on the decision to return to the BBL. "My girls have told me that they’d love to watch me play at home and in the BBL. It will be great for us to be a part of the BBL as a family, and it is something that I am really looking forward to sharing with them."

Thunder Head Coach Trevor Bayliss is also excited to work with Warner and believes that his signing would have a major impact on the Thunders and the league.

"Davey’s record on the field speaks for itself and I have no doubt he already has, and will continue to, inspire many, many kids to play and love cricket,” Bayliss said.

Sydney Thunder hasn’t appointed a captain for the upcoming 2022-23 season of the BBL as their long-term captain Usman Khawaja moved to Brisbane Heat. This decision is likely to be taken closer to the start of the season.