Live Update: Lauren Bell returns to Sydney Thunder for the 2026 Women’s Big Bash League. The 25-year-old from England is quickly joining Heather Knight and Phoebe Litchfield’s group for the Weber WBBL|12 season.
Lauren Bell returns to Sydney Thunder for the 2026 Women’s Big Bash League (Source: l.belll_ on IG) Sydney Thunder have confirmed the signing of English right-armer Lauren Bell for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Big Bash League season. The announcement was made on October 12, 2026 and Bell is expected to be available for the entire campaign. Bell returns to the Thunder after representing the club during the 2023-24 season.
She will join fellow England international Heather Knight at the Sydney-based franchise, with Phoebe Litchfield leading the team. Sydney Thunder head coach Lisa Keightley welcomed the signing. “Lauren is a world-class bowler and we are thrilled to have her back with the Thunder this season.
We’ve seen what she can do at the highest level. She has the ability to take wickets with the new ball, but what really stands out is how she can impact a game at different stages of an innings. She brings a lot of experience to our group, but is only 25 years old and is still developing her game.
She works incredibly hard, is always looking for improvement and fits very well into the culture we are building. “Having Lauren available for the full season is a huge boost for us and we believe she can play a really important role in what we want to achieve this year,” Keightley said in an official statement. What does Bell bring to the Thunder bowling attack?
Bell comes to the Thunder with a strong track record in franchise cricket in the months leading up to the season. In the WPL 2026, she picked up 12 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, demonstrating her ability to perform consistently in high-pressure T20 environments. Georgia Voll, who plays for the Sydney Thunder, played alongside Bell during India’s 2026 WPL campaign.
Bell’s performances in the competition highlighted his value as a frontline leader, contributing at various stages of a T20 innings. What did Bell say about joining the Thunder? Bell is familiar with the Thunder environment from his previous stint and spoke of his excitement about returning to the group.
She will reunite with Georgia Voll, with whom she shared the WPL 2026 experience at Royal Challengers Bengaluru. “I love Sydney, I love the group and we’ve had some exciting new additions since I was last here so I can’t wait to get started with the girls. The WBBL has the best talent in the world and as a cricketer I believe I will improve this way…
Play and challenge myself against the best in the world. I’ve obviously played against Phoebe [Litchfield] a few times and we seem to have some really good fights, but it will be good to have her on my side now and see how she scores. Volly [Georgia Voll] is super fun and talented and I had the opportunity to perform with her in India and can’t wait to do it again in Sydney.
Playing for England has certainly helped me understand my own game and my cricketing experience has grown since my last spell with Thunder. I hope to bring that winning mentality to this group,” Bell said in the press release.
