Ajinkya Rahane to play for Leicestershire in 2023 county season

India batter Ajinkya Rahane is set to join Leicestershire for the English summer and will play eight County Championship matches and is available for the entirety of the One-Day Cup 50-over competition.

He joins Leicestershire's overseas signings list for 2023, which has South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder, who has rejoined for all three formats, and Afghanistan quick Naveen-ul-Haq, who has signed for a third consecutive Vitality Blast campaign.

The club said that Rahane is expected to arrive in June following his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings.

"I'm really happy to be joining Leicestershire for the upcoming season," Rahane said in a statement. "I can't wait to play alongside my new teammates and explore the vibrant city of Leicester."

Rahane previously had a stint in county with Hampshire in 2019 where he scored a century on county debut against Nottinghamshire.

Having last played a Test match in January 2022, Rahane said recently that he wasn't giving up hope of a comeback for India. In this season's Ranji Trophy, the country's premier first-class competition, Rahane has amassed 634 runs in seven matches, including a double hundred, averaging 57.63.

"I'm extremely excited to welcome Ajinkya to Leicestershire," the club's director of cricket Claude Henderson said. "He comes with a lot of experience and a tremendous work ethic. It's a great opportunity for us to tap into that.

"I had conversations with [assistant coach] Alfonso Thomas and [head coach] Paul Nixon, who had eyed Ajinkya in the past, so he was always on our radar. It was a case of seeing what the team needed, which was definitely a senior overseas batsman, so we are delighted to have secured someone of Ajinkya's calibre."