He was one of six players culled by the Heat before last summer in a significant clean out as the club looked to rebuild after three consecutive years of missing the finals.

Cutting's standing as a global, T20 superstar didn't seem to count for anything, and the explosive all rounder moved on into the grateful arms of the Sydney Thunder where he quickly established himself in the starting XI.

It sets up a tantalising season opener in Canberra on Monday night with Cutting lining up against his former employers.

Adding another layer to the intrigue is last year's knockout semi-final, where the Heat bundled the Thunder out of the competition at the same venue.

Stand-in Thunder captain Chris Green said over the weekend that lingering after taste of defeat had left his side with unfinished business.

Cutting wouldn't go as far as saying Monday was a revenge mission, but he would certainly take extra delight in an early triumph over the new-look Heat.

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"There's certainly no animosity there, I still see the guys every day back home in Brisbane, and train with them from time to time with the Queensland Bulls," Cutting said.

"They know my game inside out and I probably know there's as well.

"It [last season's knockout semi-final] is not something we've been stewing on but it's something we're looking forward to playing them here, and then up at the Gabba."

The Thunder and Heat have both undergone changes over the off-season. Trevor Bayliss has replaced Shane Bond as Thunder coach, while Wade Seccombe took over from Darren Lehmann at Brisbane.

Both teams have also changed captains. Usman Khawaja replaced Callum Ferguson after he was shown the door, but Green will deputise for the foreseeable future with Khawaja away on Ashes duty.

Wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson, meanwhile, has taken charge at the Heat allowing Chris Lynn to focus entirely on his batting which could well mean some serious fireworks at Manuka on Monday.

"It's certainly going to free him up, it's just one less thing he has to worry about," Cutting said.

"He can just keep it simple and go back to playing his natural game of trying to hit boundaries, rotating strike and playing smart cricket.

"It's just the way he's always played cricket, even when he played Shield cricket and we played together back in the day, he was always a hard hitter of the cricket ball, [and] had no fear.

"When someone possesses those two qualities they're pretty tough to stop when they get going.

"Playing that sort of cricket is high risk, high reward, so there are going to be games where he's absolutely flying and coming off, other games he doesn't. The kind of cricket he plays is what changes matches."

"He's the sort of guy you've got to stop worrying about what he's going to do and where he's going to score, and worry about your own processes and your own plans for him.

"Take the outcome out of the equation, you know that if he has a day out, there's nothing you can do. You've just got to stick to your plans, back those to the hilt and whatever happens happens."

The Thunder arrived in Canberra on Friday afternoon, and had their only training session at Manuka Oval on Sunday.

Canberra will host two BBL fixtures this summer as the competition eyes a return to normality.

"Thinking back to last year's BBL with biosecurity bubbles, and strict protocols, we've still got those things this year but it is probably still a little bit more relaxed too," Cutting said.

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