Russell not on Thunder's radar

West Indies' star allrounder Andre Russell is lighting up the Indian Premier League but a comeback to the KFC Big Bash League remains uncertain.

Russell was instrumental in Sydney Thunder's maiden BBL title win in 2015-16 and returned to play five games a season later but has not been seen in the BBL for the past two summers.

The 30-year-old has been on fire in the IPL, scoring a ridiculous 13-ball 48no for Kolkata to sink Virat Kohli's side last week, but cricket.com.au understands Russell is not on the radar of the Thunder, who could be on the lookout for two overseas players for the forthcoming season.

England dynamo Jos Buttler has one year remaining on his contract, but his availability for BBL|09 looks doubtful given England's three-format tour of South Africa in December-January.

It's understood the BBL|05 champions are interested in an allrounder but are expected to wait until after the World Cup to see which players will be available.

Thunder coach Shane Bond (Mumbai Indians) and captain Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings) are in India for the IPL and will have a firsthand look at potential recruits for next season.

Russell is likely to attract attention from several BBL clubs given his explosive talents with both bat and ball, as well as his athleticism in the field.

The right-hander has won T20 titles all over the world but his career stalled for a year when was banned for 12 months in February 2017 for violating a doping whereabouts rule.

The suspension ruled Russell out of BBL|07, which was reported to be the second year of a two-year deal with the Thunder.

Russell was not picked up by a club this summer as he played in the Bangladesh Premier League for runners-up Dhaka Dynamites.

The Thunder employed the services of Buttler, England Test captain Joe Root, New Zealand batsman Anton Devcich and England quick Chris Jordan as international players in BBL|08.