Ajinkya Rahane signs a deal with Leicestershire for County Championship and Royal London Cup matches - Reports
Indian Test batter Ajinkya Rahane is reportedly set to join England's county side Leicestershire for red-ball cricket and the Royal London Cup.
According to The Telegraph, the Midlands Club have agreed on a deal with the right-handed batter. While the veteran batter has reportedly signed a deal with Leicestershire, his availability will depend on IPL commitments.
The Maharashtra-born player was left out of the Indian Test team following his underperformance on the South African tour earlier this year. The 34-year-old managed only 136 runs in three Tests at an average of 22.67 with only one fifty as the tourists lost the series 2-1.
BCCI have announced a 18-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha are the major names missing while KL Rahul and Washington Sundar miss out due to injury.
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His inclusion could prove to be a masterstroke for Leicestershire due to his experience and expertise in the leadership aspect.
Rahane, who has previously played for Hampshire, has featured in 82 Tests, scoring 4931 runs at an average of 38.52 with 12 centuries. He has also played 90 one-day internationals and 20 T20 internationals.
Leicestershire endured a torrid time in the 2022 County Championship, finishing winless and at the bottom of division two, 37 points adrift of eighth-placed Sussex. However, the structure of the 2023 County season is yet to be unveiled.
Ajinkya Rahane becomes the eighth active Indian cricketer to join an English county side
Rahane will be the eighth active Indian cricketer to join an England county team. Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Mohammed Siraj, Krunal Pandya and Jayant Yadav (Warwickshire), Shubman Gill (Glamorgan), Washington Sundar (Lancashire), Umesh Yadav (Middlesex), and Navdeep Saini (Kent) were involved this year.
On Monday, Sussex announced that Pujara would return for the 2023 season after scoring tons of runs during his first stint with the club in 2022. In a statement released by the club, he said:
"I am glad to be back with Sussex for the 2023 season. I thoroughly enjoyed my last stint with the club last season, both on and off the field and I'm looking forward to contributing to the team's growth and success in the coming year."
The influx of Indian players to the County Championship continues as Leicestershire edge towards a major coup
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While the BCCI is open to having its players competing in overseas four-day competitions, the same remains restricted in the case of T20 leagues to preserve the superiority of the IPL.