On this team, we fight for that inch. Cause we know; when we add up all those inches, that's going to make the difference.
An aesthetic opener, Patel has established himself as one of the first names on Leicestershire’s teamsheet across all formats.
He holds the unique record of being the only Fox to register a century in all three formats during the same summer, completed with a stunning 169 at Lancashire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup – one of six hundreds en route to winning Leicestershire’s 2023 Cricketer of the Year.
Signing on loan from home county Essex in 2020 ahead of a permanent move that winter, Patel’s first professional ton came during the 2021 One Day Cup away at Warwickshire, before reaching three-figures for the first time in red-ball cricket during the 2023 opener against Yorkshire at Headingley.
The right-hander’s elevation from the middle order to the top order fruit especially fruitful in T20 cricket, with Patel hitting swashbuckling centuries in successive summers, equalling Ben Raine’s record 42-ball ton.
Such accomplishments earned him recognition from England Lions, and later his Gold Fox cap – presented by Club President Jack Birkenshaw during the 2024 campaign.
Always hungry to add further strings to his bow, Patel gained all-rounder status in the 2025 campaign after developing his off-spin. He picked up his maiden five-fer during the Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at home to Worcestershire.