"Next week we're scheduled to go to Queensland, then Perth, and then Sydney. Who knows at the moment? We might end up back here," the Thunder coach said.

That's the unpredictable nature of life in the BBL right now with state borders cutting off those from Sydney and surrounding regions following the emergence of a coronavirus cluster.

The Thunder will be bolstered by "firing" New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne when they face the Perth Scorchers at Manuka Oval on Tuesday night.

That clash is followed by two more games in Canberra before Big Bash hubs shift to Brisbane and Perth as Cricket Australia wages a war with uncertainty caused by COVID-19.

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CA bosses are already drafting contingency plans in case the New Year's Test between Australia and India has to move out of Sydney, and soon enough the BBL will be on their radar.

The Thunder are supposed to return to Sydney for their final five matches of the Twenty20 tournament from January 15, but CA officials could be forced to explore other options if the virus outbreak in Sydney is not contained.

But Bond is confident he has the group to adapt to the uncertainty with Milne's debut coupled with the impending arrival of Sam Billings set to give the club its full complement for the remainder of the season.

"That's one thing we made sure of when we recruited," Bond said.

"You want to keep a strong, local base. We think we've got a really deep squad of people who like each other and like playing with each other which helps.

"For our overseas players, we wanted guys who are going to be around the whole time and are going to be there at the back end of the tournament.

"Sam has turned up a touch later due to his international commitments, but from Boxing Day on, we've got the same group of players who are going to carry us through to hopefully February 6.

"We're confident if we play anywhere near our best cricket, we're going to be a hard team to beat, we can certainly challenge for the playoffs.

"With Daniel [Sams'] experience playing for Australia, he has come back with a lot of confidence. I'm excited by what Nathan McAndrew is giving us all round. It's good to have three bowlers who are bowling with good gas and a little bit of variety.

"With Chris Green and young Tanveer [Sangha], who has probably been our best so far, it's a nicely balanced attack. We've obviously got the old veteran with [Ben Cutting] in the background who has been doing some solid work as well."

Bond remembers sitting down with Tanveer Sangha after he was contracted by the Thunder and before he took off with Australia's under 19 World Cup squad.

It took little time for the Thunder mentor, who spent the best part of a decade at the elite level with the New Zealand national side, to get a sense of how well Sangha understands his game.

"He is certainly not lacking in confidence, he seems very calm and clear about what he wants to do and how he wants to do it," Bond said.

"It is always great to meet a cricketer at that age who is very aware of his own game and where he wants to improve, and how he is going about his work.

"That's a real standout, that's why we played him even though he is pretty young. We were confident he had the temperament and the skill set to be successful and he has certainly done that.

"For Australian cricket to have another leggie alongside Mitch Swepson in and around this competition, getting experience and exposure to playing against some of the best players in the world, it's huge."