India left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore is set to join Gloucestershire for the final stretch of the County Championship season, with his first possible appearance coming against Worcestershire in Cheltenham on Thursday, August 20. Gloucestershire will then play Derbyshire and Middlesex at home in Bristol before finishing the campaign with away matches against Durham, Lancashire, and Kent.
Sai Kishore said he was excited to get the opportunity to play for the county and thanked the club for showing faith in him. “I am deeply grateful to Jon Lewis and everyone at Gloucestershire for giving me this opportunity. Gloucestershire is a club with a rich history and a fantastic setup, and the chance to play my cricket here is incredibly exciting,” he said in a statement on the club’s website.
The Indian spinner also highlighted his eagerness to test himself in English conditions. “I’ve always wanted to test my skills in English conditions, and after speaking with the management, I knew this was the right fit. I’m looking forward to wearing the jersey, meeting the fans at Bristol and Cheltenham, and doing my part,” Sai Kishore added.
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Gloucestershire Director of Cricket Jon Lewis welcomed the signing and backed the 30-year-old to make an impact in the closing stages of the season. “We’re really excited to bring Sai Kishore into the squad. He’s a proven, experienced cricketer who will add a huge amount to our group,” Lewis said.
🚨Sai Kishore has signed a deal with Gloucestershire to feature in the club’s final six games of the 2026 County Championship pic.twitter.com/MyfovMFySU
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) July 9, 2026
Lewis also pointed to the value an overseas spinner can bring at this stage of the County Championship. “The Club is fully committed to playing better cricket over the final six County Championship matches, and it’ll be really interesting to see the impact an overseas spinner can have at this stage of the season. The conditions at this time of year are often very conducive to spin bowling, so we’re hopeful Sai can make a significant contribution and have a really positive impact on the team,” he explained.
Sai Kishore comes into the squad with a strong first-class record built across nine seasons for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. The 6ft 3in left-arm spinner has picked up 223 wickets in 54 first-class matches, including 11 four-wicket hauls and 14 five-wicket hauls.
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He is also familiar with county cricket, having represented Surrey during the 2025 County Championship season. That stint included a maiden five-wicket haul in the competition during Surrey’s win at Durham. Earlier in the same campaign, he claimed his first Championship wicket by dismissing former England Test batter Jonny Bairstow at Scarborough.
Sai Kishore has also made his mark in the IPL, where he has played 28 matches and taken 33 wickets at an average of 21.12. At the international level, he was part of India’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where his three-wicket spell in the semi-final helped India reach the title match.
