Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad who missed a better part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 due to injury is ready to take the County route in attempt to make a comeback to the national side. Gaikwad will play in County Championship Division One for Yorkshire, followed by England's domestic One-Day Cup.
Gaikwad has become the fourth Indian cricketer to join Yorkshire. The first to do so was Sachin Tendulkar. More than a decade later, Yuvraj Singh played for Yorkshire as well. Then, Cheteshwar Pujara played for Yorkshire for four seasons.
"I'm excited to be joining up with Yorkshire for the rest of the English domestic season," Gaikwad said. "It has always been a goal of mine to experience cricket in this country and there is no bigger club in England than Yorkshire.
"I know how important it is that I hit the ground running at what will be a crucial part of the season. We have some vital games in the County Championship and the One-Day Cup is a great opportunity to win some silverware."
When will Gaikwad make Yorkshire County debut?
Gaikwad was part of India A's squad for the two unofficial Tests against England Lions. He did not feature in any of the games. Gaikwad will play five County Championship matches followed by the One-Day Cup. He will make his Yorkshire County debut against Surrey on July 22 at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough.
Yorkshire head coach and general manager on Gaikwad joining the club
Anthony McGrath, Yorkshire's head coach, is pleased to have Gaikwad's services for the second half of the season. He expects him to score quickly as well.
"I'm extremely pleased to see Ruturaj sign with us for the second half of the season. He is a very accomplished cricketer with a natural all-round game that is well suited to the cricket we want to play.
"Ruturaj will give us some extra solidity in our batting line-up whilst having that ability to score quick runs when required. He's an exciting talent and one I know is highly rated across the game."
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire's general manager of cricket, also expressed his excitement to have the 28-year-old in their lineup.
"Ruturaj has a proven record in all formats and is a multi-faceted cricketer that will strengthen us greatly in the second half of the season. Everyone at Yorkshire CCC is excited by Ruturaj's signing and we look forward to welcoming him in July," he said.
Gaikwad's first-class statistics
Gaikwad is yet to make his Test debut. He has played 38 first-class games, scoring 2,632 runs from 65 innings at an average of 41.77. He has seven centuries and 14 fifties to his name in the format.