Rahul Chahar Joins Surrey Squad for Crucial Clash Against Hampshire

Surrey has announced that Rahul Chahar is set to join their squad for the upcoming match against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl in the 2025 County Championship. Chahar, who was signed in early September for the latter part of the County Championship season, had yet to play due to not being needed for the previous two home games against Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire at the Oval.

The 26-year-old leg-spinner, currently playing for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, has made seven appearances for India in white-ball cricket. In first-class matches, Chahar has claimed 87 wickets across 24 games with an impressive average of 26.12, with his best performance being 9/148 in a match.

Chahar began his IPL career with Rising Pune Supergiants and gained prominence with the Mumbai Indians, playing a key role in their 2019 and 2020 IPL victories. He later moved to Punjab Kings in 2022 and was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the latest IPL season.

The match against Hampshire gains interest as Washington Sundar, another Indian spinner, has recently joined Hampshire for their final two fixtures of the season. Surrey, meanwhile, face challenges with the absence of spin bowlers Will Jacks and Cam Steel, both sidelined due to injuries.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Chahar said, “I’m excited to join Surrey for this week’s match. I’m here to make a difference and support the team in our final match of the season.” Alec Stewart added, “Rahul’s addition provides us with another spin option at the Utilita Bowl. We planned for the absence of players during the season’s finale and adjusted for the playing conditions and opponents we would face.”

Stewart also mentioned, “Originally, we intended for Sai Kishore to return for the final stages, but a finger injury requiring surgery has ruled him out.”

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