Nita Ambani's MI's star player to join new team, he will play for..., he is...

Tilak Varma, a young Indian middle-order batter, is set to join Hampshire for the current County season. This was announced in a press release by the Hyderabad Cricket Association on Wednesday, June 11. The 22-year-old left-handed batter has played in four ODIs and 25 T20Is for the Men in Blue.

In a statement, HCA said, “The Hyderabad Cricket Association is happy to inform that Hyderabad International player Mr. N Thakur Tilak Varma has been approached by the team Hampshire County to play in the UK County Championship League."

“The Hyderabad Cricket Association wishes him a great stint with Hampshire County," it concluded.

Tilak's was last seen playing for Nita Ambani's Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 match against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 1. He has played 18 first-class matches, scoring 1204 runs with five centuries and four fifties.

His most recent red-ball match was for India A, captained by Mayank Agarwal, against India C in the Duleep Trophy. This match took place in Anantapur from September 19 to 22, 2024.

Hampshire has participated in seven matches in the ongoing County Championship Division One. Their record includes two victories, three draws, and two losses.

The Southampton-based team experienced a defeat by 9 wickets against Sussex, the current table toppers, in their last match. This match was held at The Rose Bowl from May 23 to 26. Hampshire is scheduled to compete against Essex next, with the match set to be held at the County Ground in Chelmsford from June 22 to 25.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, June 10, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of CSK, was signed by Yorkshire for the current County season.

Gaikwad is set to join Yorkshire before their County Championship match against Surrey in July. He will remain with the club for the rest of the season, including the One-Day Cup.

He joins a list of Indian cricket legends who have played for Yorkshire, including Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, and Cheteshwar Pujara. Tendulkar was the first overseas player to represent the club in 1992, at the age of 19. Yuvraj played for the club in 2003, although his red-ball performances were not as successful. Pujara has played for Yorkshire for several seasons, being the most recent Indian player to do so.