Yuzvendra Chahal cuts short County stint midway, flies back to India due to personal reason

India's veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has cut short his stint with Northamptonshire in the ongoing County Championship and is returning home due to personal reasons. Chahal took 12 wickets in three Division Two matches this season before his departure. This was the second consecutive year that Chahal had signed a multi-format deal with the club. Last year, he played four County Championship matches and was in fantastic form, taking 21 wickets at an average of 21.1, which included two five-wicket hauls. His final red-ball match was against Derbyshire, where he took 8/197, with a career-best six-wicket haul (6/118) in the first innings.

Personal reasons bring early end to Yuzvendra Chahal’s county stint

In addition to his County Championship appearances, the 35-year-old also played in six One-Day Cup matches for Northamptonshire. He started strong, taking six wickets in the first three matches, but was unable to take any wickets in the following three games.

“Yuzi Chahal won’t be involved in our remaining three @CountyChamp games after returning home due to personal reasons. We’d like to thank Yuzi for all of his efforts and contributions this season," Northamptonshire wrote on a brief statement on social media.

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Northamptonshire has struggled in the 2025 County Championship, sitting second to last in Division Two with just two wins from 11 matches. Their performance in the one-day competition was also disappointing, as they finished last in Group B with only one victory in eight games. Despite their difficulties in the longer formats, the team had a successful run in the T20 Blast, where they managed to reach the semifinals. Looking ahead, Northamptonshire is scheduled to face Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, and Leicestershire in their upcoming matches.

Chahal has been out of the national team's plans for a while, with his last appearance for India being in August 2023 during a T20I series against the West Indies. Chahal's early departure from his County Championship stint with Northamptonshire due to personal reasons is not an isolated incident. Earlier this season, Indian bowler Khaleel Ahmed also ended his contract with Essex midway. Ahmed had signed with the club in June 2025 to play in both the County Championship and the One-Day Cup, but he left early without publicly disclosing the reasons for his decision.