The newest Indian to sign a player contract in the English county is Navdeep Saini, who has joined Kent. In the Indian domestic league, Saini represents Delhi, and he was a member of the Rajasthan Royals team during the Indian Premier League (IPL). His final appearance for India came in a T20I match against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2021.
Navdeep Saini will compete in five Royal London Cup games and three County Championship games, pending the approval of his visa. Saini joins Washington Sundar for Lancashire, Cheteshwar Pujara for Sussex, Krunal Pandya for Warwickshire, and Umesh Yadav for Middlesex as the sixth Indian player to secure a county contract.
Navdeep Saini said, “it’s a great opportunity to play county cricket and I’m looking forward to giving my all for Kent.”
Saini will compete with New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry, who will join the squad once more following 2018. George Linde, a South African all-arounder, is also on the team, but only two foreign players can start.
Due to worries about injuries and unfavorable surfaces, Kent has had difficulty this season taking wickets. With only five games remaining in the season, their loss to Northamptonshire earlier this week has placed them in eighth place in the 10-team Division One tournament.
Kent are happy to have a fast bowler in Navdeep Saini
Paul Downton, the Director of Kent, said, “in a year when it’s been difficult to take wickets, we’re excited to have the opportunity to add a fast bowler of Navdeep’s quality to our squad.”
Saini has represented India in two Tests, eight ODIs, and eleven T20Is. In his 53 first-class games total, he has 148 wickets at an average of 28.81, four five-wicket hauls, and best bowling statistics of 6/32 while taking part in 91 innings. The 29-year-old took three wickets for 55 runs when representing India in a warm-up match against Leicestershire last month.
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