Sydney Thunder star Andre Russell is out for the remainder of the BBL season due to a hamstring injury, with West Indies World T20 hero Carlos Brathwaite his replacement.
Russell suffered a hamstring strain in the defending champions' win on Wednesday night over the Melbourne Stars.
He will spend at least four-six weeks on the sidelines.
The allrounder has been down on last year's dominant form with an average of 6.25 with the bat and three wickets in total with the ball.
The Thunder, who sit last on the BBL table, five matches into their title defence, have recruited Brathwaite for their final three regular-season matches as they make an unlikely finals push.
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A composed Brathwaite starred in the West Indies' T20 World Cup final victory over England last year in India, smashing four straight sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over to reach the target.
The 28-year-old, who has captained the West Indies in the game's shortest format, had also taken three wickets in the match with his fast-medium pacers.
England batsman James Vince has also joined the Thunder with compatriot Eoin Morgan departing for the country's limited-overs series in India.
