Ajinkya Rahane to join Leicestershire for second half of County season

Indian star Ajinkya Rahane has signed with Leicestershire for the second half of the 2024 domestic season. The 36-year-old will play the final five County Championship games and the full One-Day Cup.

Rahane was due to join the County side last season before an eleventh-hour call-up to the Indian squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final made him unavailable.

Leicestershire's Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson was delighted to welcome the former Indian vice-captain onboard. He said in an official press release:

"We are thrilled to welcome someone of Ajinkya's quality to Leicestershire. It was unfortunate that Ajinkya's schedule didn't quite work with ours last year, but it's a massive boost to have secured his services for the business end of this season."

Henderson added:

"He holds immense experience and vital leadership qualities, which will be hugely beneficial to the team alongside his run-scoring ability. Ajinkya's arrival also presents a fantastic opportunity for our batters to learn from one of the game's best."

Leicestershire are currently reeling in fifth place on the County Championship Division Two standings with seven draws and a defeat in eight games.

The One Day Cup will be played from July 24 to September 22. Rahane will act as cover for South African all-rounder Waan Mulder, who is expected to leave for national duty.

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"Really excited to have another opportunity to come to Leicestershire" - Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was delighted to join Leicestershire after barely missing out last season. The stylish right-handed batter is expected to be with the squad from mid-July ahead of the start of the One Day Cup.

Rahane will also play in their County Championship matches in August and September.

"I'm really excited to have another opportunity to come to Leicestershire. I've built a strong rapport with Claude and [head coach] Alfonso [Thomas], and I'm looking forward to playing for the club this summer. I followed the team's results last year and was very impressed with what I saw. I'm hoping to enjoy my cricket and contribute to more success for the club this season," said Rahane in the aforementioned release.

Leicestershire are defending champions of the One Day Cup after they triumphed over Hampshire in last year's finale.

As for Rahane, he boasts massive experience of 188 first-class and 182 List-A matches with almost 20,000 runs and 49 centuries combined. The champion cricketer has also played 85 Tests, 90 ODIs, and 20 T20Is for India with over 8,000 runs and 15 centuries.