Thank You, Ajinkya | Rahane To Miss Final Two Matches of Season

Leicestershire CCC can today confirm Ajinkya Rahane will miss the final two games of the 2024 season.

After an assessment on a couple of niggles, the Club’s medical department have decided to withdraw the former India captain from selection. As a consequence, Rahane will now fly back to India, allowing him sufficient time to prepare for the Indian domestic season.

The 36-year-old arrived at Uptonsteel County Ground ahead of Leicestershire’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign, scoring 71 on debut against rivals Notts Outlaws.

He went on to score 378 runs from ten innings at an average of 42, as the Foxes reached the semi-final stages.

Rahane also scored 202 runs from three Vitality County Championship matches, headlined by his century against Glamorgan earlier this month.

Discussing his stint at Grace Road, Rahane said: “I have absolutely loved my time with Leicestershire. We played some fantastic cricket, and there a lot of promising signs for the team heading into next season.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed playing alongside my teammates and working with the coaches to improve my game. It was also a pleasure to meet the Leicestershire supporters and witness their passion for cricket. Everybody made me feel incredibly welcome and I would love to return to the Club again in the future.”

Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “We’re disappointed to lose Ajinkya slightly earlier than planned, but we have to respect the judgement of our medical team and acknowledge this will present an opportunity for another member of our squad to step up and score runs.

“Ajinkya has been a fantastic addition to our changing room and imparted some invaluable knowledge onto our players. It was a pleasure to see how he conducted himself on and off the pitch and he will always be welcome back at Leicestershire.”

Leicestershire face Northamptonshire on Tuesday, before concluding the 2024 summer at home to Derbyshire next week.