Sydney Thunder will start their BBL 2025-26 campaign without their captain David Warner, who has been ruled out of the season opener against Hobart Hurricanes due to a right-leg injury. The veteran opener picked up the injury in an unusual way – while playing with his children on the beach.

Freak injury during family time

David Warner sustained a minor right-leg strain during a casual beach outing with his children. While the injury is not serious, Sydney Thunder have decided to take a cautious approach early in the tournament rather than risk aggravating the problem. Thunder General Manager Trent Copeland confirmed that Warner has been receiving treatment and is hopeful of returning for Saturday’s Sydney Derby against the Sydney Sixers.

“It’s obviously not ideal to not have Davey but we’d rather be careful earlier in the tournament. I’m confident he’ll be right for our biggest game of the year, the Sydney Smash on Saturday,” Copeland said in a statement.

Chris Green to lead in Warner’s absence

With Warner unavailable, experienced all-rounder Chris Green will take over the captaincy for Tuesday’s match against the Hobart Hurricanes at Bellerive Oval. The game is a rematch of last year’s BBL final, which the Hurricanes won. Warner finished as Thunder’s leading run-scorer in that campaign with 405 runs, making his absence a significant blow for the opening match.

Copeland acknowledged that last year’s Grand Final loss is still driving the team as they look to start the new season strongly. “We try not to dwell too much on the past but last year’s loss in the Grand Final is going to act as fuel for us on Tuesday,” he said.

Young pacer Charlie Anderson gets opportunity

Sydney Thunder have named young fast bowler Charlie Anderson as their Local Replacement Player for the opener. The 20-year-old gets another chance to prove himself at the top level after showing promise in List A cricket, where he has picked up five wickets in three matches with best figures of 3/37.

Copeland praised Anderson’s potential, saying: “Charlie Anderson is one of the brightest young talents in the whole country, as we’ve seen with Australia A and NSW in recent times”. His inclusion gives Thunder a youthful pace option to bolster their bowling resources for the first match of the season.

Warner’s batting position flexibility

Before the season began, Warner had hinted that he might be flexible with his batting position depending on match-ups and conditions. He mentioned that the Thunder don’t have a left-hander in the middle order, which is something they’ve been looking for. Warner even suggested he could shift to the middle order to bolster that area of the squad, leaving Cameron Bancroft and Sam Konstas to open.

However, his enforced absence from the opener means Thunder will likely stick with their original opening combination for Tuesday’s match. Warner’s return for the Sydney Smash on Saturday will be eagerly awaited by Thunder fans as they look to start their BBL 2025-26 campaign with a strong showing.