Yuzvendra Chahal to Play Third Spell with Northamptonshire in County Championship and One-Day Cup
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is coming back to play for Northamptonshire for the second half of the 2026 season. This will be his third time with the club, playing in the County Championship and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. This time, he will also help guide the young spinners in the team, like Nirvan Ramesh and Stuart van der Merwe.
Northamptonshire head coach Darren Lehmann called Chahal an important part of the team, saying he brings experience and skill. He added, "Yuzi is a magnificent asset to this squad. His record across his career speaks for itself and he brings so much class and experience to the group. I loved working with him this year and am excited to go again in 2026."
Chahal is coming back to Wantage Road for a third time, after playing in the last two seasons, and will be available for the Steelbacks in both the One-Day Cup and four-day games. The 35-year-old, who has taken over 200 wickets for India in white-ball cricket, said he is "so excited" to be joining the club again.
Chahal’s time with Northants last summer ended early as he had to return home for personal reasons, but head coach Darren Lehmann is very happy to have him back.
On the other hand, Northamptonshire have brought back Australian seamer Harry Conway as their overseas player for next season. The 26-year-old from Sydney will play the first seven red-ball matches of 2026, after a strong four-game spell with Northants in May, where he took 20 wickets at an average of 20.75. Eight of those wickets came on his debut against the eventual Division Two champions Leicestershire, including a five-for of 5-68 in their first innings.
Northants have also brought in batter Louis Kimber on a two-year deal from Leicestershire. He’s mostly known for his big hitting in white-ball games and can bowl a bit of off-spin too. Kimber grabbed attention in 2023 when he smashed 243 runs off just 127 balls in a County Championship match at Hove.
