Sydney Thunder part ways with coach Trevor Bayliss

Both Sydney BBL clubs are searching for a new coach after Sydney Thunder parted ways with Trevor Bayliss following five seasons at the helm.

Bayliss, who coached England to the 2019 ODI World Cup title, had mixed results across his tenure as Thunder finished in the top four in three seasons including making the final in 2024-25 against Hobart Hurricanes. But either side of that finals appearance they finished last in 2023-24 and the most recent season.

Bayliss was out of contract and a mutual decision was made not to renew the deal. The news comes just a few weeks after Sydney Sixers axed coach Greg Shipperd with a year to run on his contract despite guiding Sixers to the final this season, which was the seventh BBL decider he had reached in his tenure, two of which yielded titles. Shipperd will also depart his role as New South Wales coach at the end of the season with a year to go on his contract.

While Shipperd expressed disappointment at not being able to continue, Bayliss knew his time was up with Thunder.

"Across my career I've never stayed anywhere much longer than four or five years," Bayliss said in a statement. "It feels like the right time for a fresh voice to lead the group forward.

"Making the final last year was a great achievement. It was disappointing to fall just short but going that close showed how far the group had come. It was great to see the players stand up in big moments and win some tight games along the way.

"There have been plenty of proud moments, both from a team perspective and an individual one. Watching players perform at their best, particularly in the season we reached the final, was a privilege. Those are the things you remember as a coach."

Thunder general manager Trent Copeland said the club was incredibly appreciative of Bayliss' contribution.

"This past season's results certainly didn't go to plan, but Trevor departs with our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future," Copeland said.

"As part of our annual post‑season review, we mutually agreed that now is the right time to look at how we can refresh and revitalise our high‑performance setup and search globally for a world-class T20 head coach to take us forward to not just success in BBL|16, but prolonged success into the future."