Northamptonshire rope in Yuzvendra Chahal for the One Day Cup and County Championship
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will spend a stint with English county side Northamptonshire. He will be part of the team's upcoming final One Day Cup clash against Kent as well as the remaining five matches in the County Championship.
Chahal was part of Team India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad that won the title but he failed to feature and served as the fourth spinner in the team. He was recalled into the white-ball squad after a brief period of absence after a fruitful phase in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Chahal had a stint with Kent in the 2023 County Championship after not being selected for the 2023 Asia Cup. He picked up nine wickets in two matches at an average of 27.33, which remains his most recent red-ball venture.
His other recent red-ball exploits include a couple of matches for Haryana in the 2023 Ranji Trophy season, where he picked up three wickets at an average of 92.33.
"Yuzvendra is another high-profile overseas player who brings with him a wealth of experience and some incredible skills. His record speaks for itself and his wicket-taking ability will add strength to our attack," Northamptonshire head coach John Sadler said.
Chahal is set to join his teammates for the upcoming List-A clash on Wednesday, August 14.
Yuzvendra Chahal will be teammates with fellow Indian player Prithvi Shaw
Northamptonshire had already secured Shaw's signing after the youngster had represented the county side in the 2023 season before an unfortunate injury cut his stint short. He played some entertaining knocks in the ongoing One-Day Cup but the team are eighth in the table after winning only one match so far.
Northamptonshire has also proven to be a haven for several Indian players during the off-season. The likes of Karun Nair and Siddharth Kaul have represented the county in the past.
The County Championship will prove to be the ideal opportunity for Chahal to remain match-fit and potentially be on the selectors' radar for the upcoming home season.
While a comeback seems difficult at the moment, with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi both performing at their level best, Chahal could return back to the domestic circuit in India, which will feature the white-ball tournaments to close out the year.