The 41-year-old all-rounder last played professionally for the Sydney Sixers two summers ago and has since served as an assistant coach at the Thunder.
Christian has not played a professional cricket match since the Sixers’ BBL12 semi-final loss to the Brisbane Heat but has kept fit with UNSW in the NSW Premier Cricket competition.
He will join an elite club of players to play in the BBL that includes Brad Hogg, Brad Hodge, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed and the late Shane Warne.
Christian is available for the rest of the tournament, which is already a big improvement from the reign of the wooden spooner Thunder.
Sams (concussion) and Bancroft (broken shoulder blade, broken nose, concussion) join a mounting injury spree that has also sidelined Jason Sangh, Nick Maddinson and Tanveer Sangh.
“I decided in the off-season that a return to the BBL or any other T20 league was never completely off the table for me,” Christian said. “The body feels great, and I wanted to make sure I was ready when the opportunity came.
“The incident with Cam Bancroft and Dan Sams was very unfortunate, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity this has presented. I wish them all the best in their recovery and hope they’ll be back on the park soon.”
Also, the Thunder could lose Sam Constance in Test duties after the tournament and bid farewell to internationals Sherphen Rutherford and Lockie Ferguson as they head into the ILT20.
“We are very fortunate to have Dan already with the club,” Thunder general manager Trent Copeland said. “He’s a legend in the BBL and we have no doubt he’s still at the level. We can’t wait to see him get back into this environment and make an impact.”
Christian is considered a T20 specialist, having played 409 games for 18 different teams in six different countries throughout his global career.
He represented Australia 43 times in white ball cricket and won three BBL titles – one each with Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Renegades and Sixers.
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