Jayant yadav joins Puducherry after parting ways with Haryana ahead of upcoming Ranji Trophy season

Veteran off-spinner Jayant Yadav has linked up with Puducherry after ending his association with Haryana, the team he's represented since his debut in 2011-12. Having received a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Haryana, Jayant Yadav will now join Puducherry amidst the ongoing domestic season. Notably, Indian cricket's domestic season kicked off on August 28 with Duleep Trophy, which will be followed by Irani Cup from October 1 and Ranji Trophy from February next year. This move is reportedly driven by Yadav's ambition to play across all three formats, a role he wasn't consistently given by Haryana.

Jayant Yadav signs with Puducherry after Haryana exit

Since the 2023-24 season, which saw Haryana win the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Yadav was not the first-choice spinner in white-ball cricket. The team management showed a clear preference for all-rounders Nishant Sindhu and Rahul Tewatia, which prompted the 35-year-old to seek new opportunities.

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Yadav's final appearance for Haryana was in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Mumbai. In that match, he took three wickets and scored 40 runs across two innings during a 152-run loss. He finished the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season with 28 wickets in eight matches. In his extensive first-class career, Yadav has taken 265 wickets in 90 matches. He has also been a valuable contributor with the bat, scoring 2,924 runs, including three centuries and 14 half-centuries. His highest first-class score of 211 came against Karnataka in the 2012-13 season. Talking about his career-best innings of 211, Jayant Yadav formed a remarkable 392-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Amit Mishra. For his new team, Puducherry, Yadav will be one of three professional players, joining Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Puneet Datey and Mumbai wicketkeeper Siddhant Adhatrao.

Yadav's international career with India includes six Test matches, with his last appearance being against Sri Lanka in Mohali in 2022. He has taken 16 wickets at an average of 29.06 and has scored 248 runs at an average of 31.00. Additionally, he has played two One Day Internationals (ODIs), taking one wicket. His ODI debut was in 2016 against New Zealand, where he dismissed Corey Anderson. His second ODI came in January 2022 against South Africa, but he went wicketless in that match. As far as his stint in Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned, Yadav last played for the Gujarat Titans in 2023. He has also previously represented the Delhi Daredevils and the Mumbai Indians.