Yuzvendra Chahal hit the ground running in his Northamptonshire county stint with a five-wicket haul in their match against the Kent Spitfires in the One Day Cup 2024 at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Chahal, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, bowled an impressive unchanged spell of 5/14 in his 10 overs to skittle out Kent for just 82 runs. In reply, the Northamptonshire Steelbacks won with nine wickets and 36 overs to spare to register an emphatic win in their last group game.

However, the Northamptonshire Steelbacks – who won only two of their eight group matches – are out of contention for a quarter-final spot as they find themselves outside the top four.

The 34-year-old Chahal, who was signed only an hour before start of play, is slated to play matches for Northamptonshire in Division 2 of the ongoing County Championship next.

In the One Day Cup match, Chahal was introduced in the 13th over when Kent were already reeling at 33/4. The Indian then struck in his third over by dismissing Ekansh Singh. He followed it up with a double-wicket maiden in his next over accounting for Jaydn Denly, who top-scored for Kent with 22, as the team slipped to 50/7.

 
 
 
 
 
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When he was done, Chahal had bowled 10 overs, conceded only 14 runs and picked up a fifer.

Incidentally, Chahal had turned up for Kent in the 2023 season picking up nine wickets from two Division One games.

For Northamptonshire, however, Chahal will play in Division Two, where the Indian will feature in the remaining five County Championship fixtures this season.

Northamptonshire are currently placed seventh out of eighth on the points table.

“Yuzvendra is another high-profile overseas player who brings with him a wealth of experience and some incredible skills,” Northamptonshire head coach John Sadler said ahead of the leggie’s signing. “His record speaks for itself and his wicket-taking ability will add strength to our attack.”

Northamptonshire are scheduled to play Middlesex in their next County Championship match on August 22.