Star England duo find new home for WBBL|06

England stars Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont have found a new home for the upcoming Rebel WBBL season, signing with Sydney Thunder.

Their arrivals round out the Thunder's 15-player squad for WBBL|06, adding some serious firepower to the top order as the Thunder look to return to the tournament finals this season.

England captain Knight previously played for and captained the Hobart Hurricanes, while Beaumont was part of the Melbourne Renegades' campaign last season.

As well as star-power, the pair also add valuable experience to a youthful Thunder group that includes eight players aged 20 or younger.

"With Alex Blackwell and Rene Farrell retiring, one of the things that stood out was the need for some support for Rachael Haynes, and some more senior experience to help our younger players," said Thunder coach Trevor Griffin, who won two England Super League titles alongside Knight.

"Heather is a true leader. It doesn’t matter what level of cricket she’s playing, the way she prepares is always exactly the same – and that will be great for our younger players to see how the best players in the world operate.

"Tammy is an aggressive player who wants to score runs and wants to dominate ... and that’s the way we want to play our cricket.

"They’re both great at connecting with people and sharing their ideas, so I have no doubt that our entire squad will benefit from having Heather and Tammy around."

Knight and Beaumont will join Australia vice-captain Haynes in a new-look batting order, replacing the retired Blackwell, Kiwi Rachel Priest - who has moved to the Hobart Hurricanes - and Naomi Stalenberg, is currently not confirmed to have signed with any club.

However, with Hobart the only club yet to announce their full 15-player squad, she could be set to fellow in Priest's footsteps. 

"It’s a really exciting opportunity for me ... Trevor's hoping I can open the batting and be aggressive at the top of the order," Beaumont said.

"Last year we saw how many talented young players Thunder has coming through, so it’ll be great to come into the set up and hopefully add a bit of experience."

Knight, Beaumont and South African international Shabnim Ismail touched down in Australia on Sunday to begin two weeks of hotel quarantine in Adelaide.

From there, they will link up with their Thunder teammates in Sydney, where the entire 59-game WBBL season will be played in a hub starting October 25. 

"From afar, I could see that Thunder has quite a young squad,” Knight said. “But, there’s some really talented youngsters which is really exciting.

"I’m really looking forward to supporting Rachael Haynes - who I respect massively as a player and captain - and also helping those young girls win some games and get into finals.

"Trevor being coach was a big factor in my decision. He’s a brilliant people person and really knows how to get the best out of me.

"I'm massively excited to work with him again."

In all, the Thunder have made six changes to the group that finished sixth on the table in WBBL|05.

Joining Knight and Beaumont are fellow newcomers Sammy-Jo Johnson, a powerful pace bowler and batter who has moved from the Brisbane Heat, and off-spinner Lauren Smith, who has crossed from the Sydney Sixers.

Teenagers Anika Learoyd and Olivia Porter have earned their first WBBL contracts, while the club has farewell to another retiree, Farrell, and pacer Lisa Griffith, who has signed with the Sixers, while Pakistan allrounder Nida Dar will not return.

Sydney Thunder squad: Rachael Haynes (c), Tammy Beaumont (Eng), Heather Knight (Eng), Shabnim Ismail (SA), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Olivia Porter, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson