CSK captain withdraws from Yorkshire deal ahead of 2025-26 domestic season: Reports

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has opted out of the upcoming phase of the County Championship and One-Day Cup season for Yorkshire due to personal reasons. The right-handed batter had agreed to a five-match deal with the team after recovering from his hand injury, and being included in the India 'A' side for the tour of England.

He was expected to join Yorkshire ahead of the County Championship clash against Surrey, scheduled to begin on July 22. But, three days ahead of the contest, the team have announced that Gaikwad has withdrawn from his commitment.

"The Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that Ruturaj Gaikwad will no longer be joining the Club for the 2025 season due to personal reasons," a statement on X read.

Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath branded the talented batter's absence as 'unfortunate' and refused to divulge the pinpoint reason behind his unexpected withdrawal from the season.

"Unfortunately Gaikwad’s not coming now for personal reasons. “We’re not going to have him for Scarborough or for the rest of the season. So that’s disappointing. I can’t tell you anything about the reasons why, but we hope that everything’s ok. We’ve literally just found out. We’re working behind the scenes on what we can do. But it’s only two or three days away, so I’m not sure what we can do at the moment. We’re working to try and get a possible replacement, but time pressure is the issue. I can’t give you anything more than that at the moment," McGrath told Yorkshire's official website.

Gaiwkad's last competitive fixture came against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), a little while after he suffered an injury at the hands of a searing Jofra Archer delivery in the clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He was ruled out for the season soon after, with MS Dhoni taking over the leadership duties.

Ruturaj Gaikwad did not play any matches for India 'A' against England Lions ahead of Yorkshire deal

The right-handed batter managed to be fit in time to be named in the India 'A' squad for the tour of England. However, he was not part of the unofficial Tests against England Lions, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul, and Karun Nair, the members of the main squad, utilising the series as a warm-up, and taking up the top order spots.

It was reported that Gaikwad featured in the intra-squad match for India 'A' against the senior side after the matches against England Lions. He was dismissed for a duck, which was played behind closed doors ahead of the first Test against England.

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Edited by Gokul Nair