Match Preview | County Championship | Sussex | 3-6 April 2026

After 23 long years, the wait is finally over. The Foxes are back in Division One, and with just one sleep to go, the excitement is building ahead of a blockbuster return against Sussex. A new chapter begins at Uptonsteel Grace Road, and the stage is set for a long-awaited top-flight comeback.

SQUAD:

Ian Holland was announced as the Foxes captain for the first block of County Championship fixtures after the news broke that Peter Handscomb wouldn't be joining up with the Foxes for 2026 due to family commitments.

Josh Davey, Alex Green, and Ben Mike will all have to wait to make their first competitive appearances of 2026 as they miss out due to on-going injuries.

The Foxes have been boosted by the late arrival of Jake Weatherald, and month long signing of Yadvinder Singh, whilst Ajaz Patel is unavailable for this fixture due to a precautionary decision.

Ian Holland*, Rehan Ahmed, Sol Budinger, Ben Cox +, Stephen Eskinazi, Ben Green, Lewis Hill, Josh Hull, Rishi Patel, Tom Scriven, Yadvinder Singh, Jake Weatherald, Sam Wood.

Tickets are available to buy here: foxeslccc.com/Sussex-Tickets-CC | Tickets are also available to purchase on the gate via Curzon Road.

Opposition Player to Watch:

It’s been a remarkable rise for the young James Coles, who has continued his development on the big stage with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, alongside appearances for the England Lions over the winter.

After securing a £390,000 deal in the inaugural Hundred auction, the 21-year-old will attract plenty of attention this season, with strong performances likely to keep him firmly on the radar of Brendon McCullum and Rob Key for a potential England call-up.

Last time we met:

When Leicestershire last faced Sussex in the County Championship, it proved to be one of the most remarkable matches in recent memory despite ending in a narrow 18-run defeat. Chasing a daunting 464, the Foxes produced a breathtaking response led by Louis Kimber, who delivered an innings for the ages. Kimber smashed the fastest double century in County Championship history, reaching the milestone in just 100 balls on his way to an extraordinary 243 from 127 deliveries.

His knock included a record-breaking 43 runs in a single over off Ollie Robinson and an astonishing 21 sixes, rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion. Supported by contributions from the rest of the order, Leicestershire pushed Sussex to the brink in a thrilling finale, falling just short in a game that will be remembered for Kimber’s historic brilliance.

HOW CAN I FOLLOW?

Stay tuned to our livestream as our social media channels, to stay up-to-date with play-by-play coverage and post-day reaction across all four days.

You can watch every ball across the 4 days via the Foxes TV YouTube channel, as well as via our match centre - with updates across all Leicestershire CCC social media channels.