India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has opted out of his county stint with Yorkshire, citing a “personal issue at home.”
While the exact reason has not been disclosed, Gaikwad was scheduled to make his debut at North Marine Road against Surrey on July 22 and remain with Yorkshire until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old was expected to feature in the remaining County Championship fixtures and was also signed to participate in the One-Day Cup in what would have been his maiden stint in county cricket.
“Unfortunately, Gaikwad’s not coming now for personal reasons. We’re not going to have him for Scarborough or for the rest of the season. So that’s disappointing,” Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath said.
“I can’t tell you anything about the reasons why, but we hope that everything is okay. We’ve literally just found out.”
McGrath added that Yorkshire were assessing their replacement options.
“We’re working behind the scenes to see what we can do. But it’s only two or three days away, so I’m not sure what’s possible at the moment. We’re trying to get a replacement, but time is tight,” he said.
Yorkshire are currently languishing in 8th place in the Championship table and are actively seeking a replacement.
Gaikwad has been out of action since he was ruled out of IPL 2025 due to an elbow injury. At Chennai Super Kings, he was replaced by Ayush Mhatre, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning as team captain.
Following his recovery, Gaikwad was selected for the India A squad for the four-day matches in England but did not get a chance to play.