India’s spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya will head to the UK to play in the County Circuit for the first time this summer. The 31-year-old will join Warwickshire for the Royal London Cup, which starts from August 2.
Pandya, who is currently not part of India’s white-ball setups, will be the third Indian player to play County cricket this season. Cheteshwar Pujara has been playing in County Championship for Sussex and will also be available for the fifty-over competition, while Washington Sundar will represent Lancashire.
The arrival of The Hundred league last year meant most of the top England players render unavailable for the Royal London Cup. In which case, the availability of three Indian players provides a boost to the competition.
“Krunal is an incredible signing for the club, and I’m delighted to welcome him to Edgbaston. Krunal will bring a wealth of international experience to a team that will be desperate to do well,”
said Warwickshire’s director of cricket Paul Farbrace.
Ten Warwickshire players are set to play in The Hundred and the club could lose more players in the next week’s domestic wildcard draft. Krunal will be a key player for them as their fifty-over team will feature several young players.
“Really excited to get the opportunity to play county cricket and to join such a historic club as Warwickshire. Edgbaston is a special place to play cricket and I can’t wait to call it my home. I hope I can play my part in a successful 50-over campaign with the club,”
said Krunal.
Krunal has played 24 international matches for India across two white-ball formats and has done pretty well. But he is not considered at the moment, with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Deepak Hooda ahead in the pecking order.
Krunal had a good season for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022, picking 10 wickets at 6.97 rpo and scoring 183 runs with the bat. He will be looking to push his case for India return with a strong outing in Royal London Cup.
