Sydney Thunder Community Rookie contract to be awarded to standout player in the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup

Fans and players from the Indian community have been invited to create a team and represent India in the second edition of the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup, which was launched recently by the Sydney Thunder.

Started by KFC Big Bash team the Sydney Thunder in 2013, the competition aims to give cricket lovers from all cultural backgrounds the chance to experience the fun and excitement of Twenty20 cricket, whilst representing their local community.

This season, Sydney Thunder representatives will be present at each community round, with the standout player from the day invited to participate in the Sydney Thunder Community Rookie trials on November 24 at ANZ Stadium. From the trials, one Sydney Thunder rookie contract will be awarded to an individual that will become the Sydney Thunder Community Rookie for KFC BBL04.

Kicking off with an Indian Community Round to be played at Granville Park, Marylands on 16th cultural backgrounds, will take on each other in a fun day of cricket played in the Super 8s format. The winner of each Community Day will advance through to the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup Semi-Finals on Sunday, November 30th at Mona Park in Auburn, taking on eight teams from other cultural backgrounds across Sydney.

The competition will culminate with the two finalists taking to the turf of Spotless Stadium to play in the official curtain raiser for the Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Stars match on Saturday, January 17th. The winning team will see their country’s name etched alongside 2013/2014 winners South Africa on the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup.

Usman Khawaja commented on his excitement about the return of the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup.

“Last year it was great to see so many teams register and take part in the inaugural Thunder Nation Cup. The Indian community is well known for its love of cricket and I can’t wait to see some of the stars of the future that are unearthed November, teams from throughout Sydney, of eight different as part of this initiative” Khawaja said.

“The opportunity to be signed as the Community Rookie is one that I wish was available when I was growing up. Being an immigrant myself, I know how hard it is to breakthrough and be signed by a first class sporting organisation. It is a unique opportunity and one that I am really excited about following”.

Sydney Thunder General Manager, Nick Cummins, encouraged cricket fans and players to get involved in the MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup.

“After seeing the talent that was on display last year, we have decided that we will reward the standout player from this year’s MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup with a playing contract with the Sydney Thunder as our Community Rookie” Cummins said.

“This provides an opportunity for those in the Pakistani community to fast track their goal of playing first class cricket and join our playing roster”.

“The MoneyGram Thunder Nation Cup, first and foremost, is a community initiative so we encourage all people to get involved, as you don’t need to be cricket experts or professionals to play in the tournament”, he commented.

“MoneyGram is thrilled to team up with Sydney Thunder for the Thunder Nation Cup, and have the opportunity to engage with many communities in Western Sydney through a sport we all enjoy,” said Deepika Chadha, MoneyGram’s senior marketing manager for Australia.

“We look forward to the community cricket days, and our team is very excited about the Community Rookie program which could unearth a future star.

MoneyGram is proud to invest in our local communities” Chadha said.