India spinner Sai Kishore to play County Cricket, signs short-term deal with Surrey

India’s left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore is set to feature for Surrey in the County Championship after signing a short-term deal with the side. The 27-year-old will be available for Surrey’s next two Division One fixtures, both of which will be played with the Kookaburra ball. Kishore, who has represented India in three T20Is, was part of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 and recently led IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to the TNPL 2025 title. He also captains Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and has a solid First-Class record with 192 wickets in 46 matches at an average of 23.5. With the bat, he has scored 792 runs, including a highest of 81. “I’m really excited to be joining Surrey for the next two County Championship matches.

Surrey are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I have heard great things about the set-up from lots of different people in the game,” said Kishore in a statement issued by the club. Kishore will join Surrey for the away fixture against Yorkshire at Scarborough from July 22 to 25 and the subsequent match against Durham at Chester-le-Street from July 29 to August 1.

Surrey’s High-Performance Advisor Alec Stewart welcomed the signing, stating, “I’m delighted to bring the highly rated Sai Kishore into our squad for the next two Kookaburra games.

All the reports I have received from people I respect in the Indian game have spoken highly of him. His four-day record for Tamil Nadu is very good and he brings leadership experience to the group,” said Stewart as quoted by IANS.

Kishore may face India teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is representing Yorkshire. Other Indian players currently participating in the County Championship include Tilak Varma (Hampshire), Yuzvendra Chahal (Northamptonshire), and Khaleel Ahmed (Essex). Ishan Kishan recently completed a two-game stint with Nottinghamshire.

Kishore’s County outing comes at a crucial time as he looks to reassert his credentials in red-ball cricket, especially with younger spinners like Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey being preferred for India A's recent tour of England.