India legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal will no longer take part in the ongoing County Championship in UK after cutting short his stint with Northamptonshire. Chahal is returning home due to personal reasons
after having taken 12 wickets in three Division Two matches this season.
This was Chahal’s second straight year with Northamptonshire having signed a multi-format deal. He played four County Championship matches last year and took 21 wickets at an average of 21.1 including two five-wicket hauls.
His last red-ball match was against Derbyshire in which he took 8/197 in the contest including a six-wicket haul in the first innings – 6/118 which was his career-best performance in the competition.
Besides County Championship, the 35-year-old also played in six One-Day Cup matches for Northamptonshire this time around. He took six wickets in the first three matches of the competition before going wicketless in the next three.
“Yuzi Chahal won’t be involved in our remaining three @CountyChamp games after returning home due to personal reasons. We’d like to thank Yuzi for all of his efforts and contributions this season,” Northamptonshire wrote on a brief statement on social media.
Yuzi Chahal won’t be involved in our remaining three @CountyChamp games after returning home due to personal reasons.
We’d like to thank Yuzi for all of his efforts and contributions this season. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/UQZD6AxkwO
— Northamptonshire Steelbacks (@NorthantsCCC) September 5, 2025
Northamptonshire are second-last in Division Two of the 2025 County Championship having managed just two wins from 11 matches so far. In the one-day competition, they were last in Group B after a solitary win from eight games.
However, they reached the semifinals of the T20 Blast.
Northamptonshire will face Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, and Leicestershire next.
Chahal had recently revealed he wanted to take a break from cricket due to the mental toll due to problems in his personal life.
“After my divorce, I was called a cheater. I have never cheated in my life and am extremely loyal – probably more than most. For my loved ones, I’ve always thought from the heart,” Chahal said during a podcast.
“I had suicidal thoughts. I was tired of my life. I would cry for two hours a day, sleep just two hours. This went on for over 40 days. I had anxiety attacks, depression. Only those close to me knew what I was going through,” he added.
