Credit: BCCI
Indin cricketer and Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will be seen serving Yorkshire in the County Championship and One-Day Cup 2025-26. The right-handed batter played his last competitive game on April 8 2025, with his appearance for CSK in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Gaikwad got ruled out of IPL 2025 due to a fractured elbow. The right-handed batter didn’t get a spot in India’s 15-member squad for upcoming five Tests in England, despite his exceptional numbers in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Appearing in three games, he scored 330 runs in just five innings for Maharashtra.
Amidst these developments, Gaikwad got a contract from Yorkshire for the upcoming English summer season. He will feature in five County Championship games from July until the conclusion of the season ahead of recording his presence in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. Yorkshire’s next county match is against Nottingham from June 22 but Ruturaj is expected to join the camp before the game against Surrey to be played from July 22 to 25. Yorkshire are currently in the ninth position on the Division 1 points table, with only one win and four losses in seven outings. Gaikwad will look to be effective with his bat and change the fortunes of the side.
Renowned Indian players in County Championship
In the past, several eminent Team India players participated in the County Championship. In 1980, Kapil Dev was the first India player to play in the County Championship. The legendary captain served Somerset. Following his footsteps, Mohammad Azharuddin also featured in the illustrious First-Class tournament in the 1980s.
In 1992, Sachin Tendulkar emerged as the first overseas player to play for Yorkshire. Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, and Cheteshwar Pujara also played in the County Championship during their careers.
