Sixers add another piece to their title-winning puzzle

The Sydney Sixers have confirmed the return of West Indian Carlos Brathwaite for this KFC BBL season, meaning the club has now locked in nine of the 11 players that steered them to victory in the final last summer.

The Sixers have set their sights on the competition's first-ever three-peat and have already signed 16 players for this season, most of whom were part of their title-winning run a year ago.

They have also retained international stars Nathan Lyon and Tom Curran on multi-year deals after the pair did not play a role last season.

With head coach Greg Shipperd also signing a new deal, the Sixers are clearly hoping a tried and tested formula will again lead them to the title.

The only two unsigned members of the XI that won the final last season are Englishman James Vince, who Shipperd has indicated is hopeful of returning, and fast bowler Jackson Bird.

Brathwaite, who made a cameo appearance for the Sixers in BBL|07 before returning last season, said the reward of winning the title after a difficult campaign on the road made him eager to return.

"Obviously winning (BBL|10) and the team’s success last year made it attractive to want to come back," Brathwaite said.

"As you get older you definitely want to be somewhere you can hopefully be challenging for trophies but at the Sixers there is a deeper camaraderie and sense of family atmosphere.

"As a team we went through a tumultuous season last year on the road without getting back to Sydney until the final and we built a very strong bond. The BBL is one of the biggest T20 tournaments in the world and hopefully that bond can help us to success again, this time in front of our fans at the SCG all season."

Having spent the northern summer in the UK playing for the Birmingham Bears in the T20 Blast and Manchester Originals in The Hundred, Brathwaite has returned to the West Indies to play for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League.

The Sixers' quest for the BBL's first three-peat begins on December 5 at the SCG, when they will host the Melbourne Stars.

Sydney Sixers BBL|11 squad (so far): Sean Abbott, Carlos Brathwaite (WI), Dan Christian, Tom Curran (ENG), Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques (c), Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Ben Manenti, Stephen O'Keefe, Josh Philippe, Lloyd Pope, Jordan Silk.