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Khaleel Ahmed Heads Back To India After Short England County Stint With Essex

Rajgeeta Yadav

Khaleel Ahmed [Source: @EssexCricket/X.com]Khaleel Ahmed [Source: @EssexCricket/X.com]

Indian fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed has returned home from England earlier than planned, ending his county cricket stint with Essex after playing just two matches. His early departure is due to personal reasons, according to an official statement from the club. Khaleel had only recently joined Essex and was expected to play a major role in the remainder of their season, but his time there was cut short.

Although his time with Essex was brief, Khaleel did manage to make some impact. He played in two first-class matches and took four wickets. However, his bowling average was on the higher side, at 64.50 runs per wicket. 

Essex Cricket Releases Official Statment

Essex Cricket released a statement confirming Khaleel’s decision to leave. 

“Essex Cricket can confirm that Khaleel Ahmed has made the decision to return home for personal reasons and will be ending his time with the Club.

While we are disappointed to see him leave, we fully support Khaleel’s decision and are grateful for the contributions he made during his time with us."

Initially, Khaleel had signed up to play with Essex for about two months. During this period, he was supposed to participate in six first-class matches as part of the County Championship and could have played in up to ten games in the One-Day Cup. 

His contract was set to last until late September, which would have given him plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills in English conditions. 

Before heading to England, Khaleel had been in good form. He had delivered a solid performance for India A, where he picked up four wickets for 70 runs in a red-ball game against the England Lions. He also had a successful run in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

In red-ball cricket since 2024, he had taken 45 wickets in just 12 matches, with an impressive bowling average of 22.9 and a strike rate of 41.2. These stats had raised expectations for his county performance, which now remains incomplete.

Interestingly, Khaleel isn’t the only Indian cricketer to step away from county duties recently. Ruturaj Gaikwad, captain of CSK, also pulled out of his County Championship contract with Yorkshire.

With Khaleel no longer in the squad, Essex will need to adjust their team setup as they continue their County Championship campaign. Their next match is scheduled against Warwickshire on July 29 at the County Cricket Ground.