Foxes Stars Jet Off for Franchise Stints

Leicestershire trio Rehan Ahmed, Naveen-ul-Haq and Colin Ackermann will sharpen their T20 preparations for the 2023 Vitality Blast after signing up for franchise leagues across the globe this month.

Ahmed and Naveen will both fly to the UAE to take part in the inaugural ILT20 League, which begins on 13 January and runs through to mid-February.

England history maker Ahmed will link up with Gulf Giants, joining the likes of Ollie Pope, Chris Jordan and skipper James Vince, with Andy Flower’s side kicking off their campaign against MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi on 14 January.

The teenager will be afforded the chance to build upon a phenomenal start to his T20 career, with the all-rounder taking 19 wickets at a shade over 20 in his debut Blast campaign during 2022.

Naveen, who last month signed for a third season with the Foxes, will follow up his recent T20 stints in the Lanka Premier League and Big Bash by representing Sharjah Warriors.

The Afghanistan star has taken English T20 cricket by storm in his two campaigns to date, becoming the fastest Fox in history to accumulate 50 Blast wickets, taken at an average of just 16.9.

Elsewhere, T20 skipper Ackermann will travel to Bangladesh to play for Sylhet Strikers in the 2023 BPL. The Strikers take on Chattogram Challengers in the tournament’s curtain-raiser on Friday (6 January).

Ackermann, who holds the T20 world record for best match bowling figures, is set to be joined by fellow international stars Imad Wasim, Dhananjaya de Silva and Mushfiqur Rahim, as he bids to fire the Strikers to their maiden BPL title.

Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “It is exciting to see our players in demand for new opportunities around the world.

“All three players are instrumental to our white-ball teams, and we will follow their progress with great interest.”