Ajinkya Rahane‘s county stint with Leicestershire ended abruptly after the veteran suffered an injury. He will not play the last two matches of the season after the medical department decided to keep him out due to a couple of niggles. The 36-year-old batter will travel back to India to prepare for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.

Leicestershire’s match with Northamptonshire will start on Tuesday, September 17, before they take on Derbyshire in their last game.

“I loved my time at Leicestershire. We played good cricket, and there are a lot of positive signs for the club heading into next season,” Rahane said.

“It was a pleasure to play alongside my teammates and work with the support staff to improve my performance. It was nice to meet the fans of the club and witness their passion. Everybody welcomed me at the club, and I would love to play for the team in the future,” he added.

Claude Henderson, the director of Leicestershire Cricket, said, “It was disappointing to lose one of our key players, Ajinkya Rahane, for the last two games, but we have to accept the decision of our medical staff. This is a chance for another guy in our squad to step up and score runs.

“Ajinkya Rahane was a fantastic player for us, and he shared invaluable knowledge with other players. It was nice to see his conduct on and off the field, and he will always be welcome back at the club.”

In the One-Day Cup campaign, Ajinkya scored  378 runs across 10 innings, averaging 42, and helped the team to qualify for the semis.

In three Vitality County Championship matches, he scored 202 runs, including a hundred against Glamorgan.