Gold Fox Caps Golden Summer For Leicestershire Star Rishi Patel

Rishi Patel’s golden summer has gotten even brighter after he was awarded his prestigious Gold Fox county cap ahead of Sunday’s One Day Cup victory over the Yorkshire Vikings.

Joined by his teammates and family, Patel was honoured with the gold-emblazoned cap by Club President Jack Birkenshaw, MBE, in recognition of his glistening season across all three formats.

The in-form Leicestershire opener has hit six centuries across a record-breaking summer, headlined by becoming the first Fox to score a hundred in each format during the same season.

Those centuries included a record-shattering 161 at Lancashire earlier this month, as Patel registered the highest-ever individual score by a Leicestershire player against a first-class county in List A cricket.

It followed four tons in the LV= Insurance County Championship and a swashbuckling 45-ball ton in the Foxes’ Vitality Blast victory over Durham in June.

Overall, the 25-year-old has scored just shy of 3,000 runs across 91 appearances for Leicestershire since his loan move from Essex was made permanent ahead of the 2021 season.

Discussing the award of his Gold Fox, Patel said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to receive my county cap here at Leicestershire. I’ve made some great memories in my time at the Club so far, and hopefully I can make many more for everyone associated with the Foxes in the seasons to come.

“It was a very proud moment for myself and my family. Having my loved ones there for the presentation was a big surprise, but it was very special to share that experience with them.

“It’s been an amazing season so far, and I want to thank everyone who has supported and backed me. Hopefully we can continue our strong form as a team and end the year in style.”

Patel’s efforts in the Metro Bank One Day Cup have helped Leicestershire to the knockout stages for a second consecutive season, winning an impressive seven matches from eight group games.

The Foxes will discover their quarter or semi-final opponents on Tuesday evening following the conclusion of Hampshire’s fixture against Kent.