He was the second leading wicket-taker for his TNPL 2025 team.
India’s uncapped left-arm spinner, R Sai Kishore, has been roped in by Surrey for the County Championship Division One 2025. The 28-year-old will join the squad in a few days and will be available for the two first-class games later this month. He will make his debut against the Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side, Yorkshire, on July 22, in Scarborough. The Gujarat Titans spinner’s short stint will come to an end with a game against Durham on July 29 in Chester-le-Street. Surrey have won three County Championship titles in a row, and are eyeing a four-peat this season.
“I’m really excited to be joining Surrey for the next two County Championship matches. Surrey are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I have heard great things about the set-up from lots of different people in the game,” Kishore said in a statement.
Recently, he led IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to win the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2025 title against Ravichandran Ashwin-led Dindigul Dragons. In the TNPL 2025, Kishore picked up 12 wickets in nine games at an average of 15.50 and a frugal economy rate of 5.44. His best spell of 2/9 came in Qualifier 1 against Chepauk Super Gillies.
ESM
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SPE
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TWI
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SPE
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ESM
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WEY
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WEY
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TWI
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ESM
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TWI
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BAN
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TWI
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WEY
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TWI
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BAN
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SPE
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SPE
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WEY
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BAN
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WEY
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BCC
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91YC
155/3
NAJC
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GUG
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NVR
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CCC
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GUG
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91YC
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ENG
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IND
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RTZ
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KGC
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TCC
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JJ
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STCC
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FEK
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ALECC
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CEC-A
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ZIM
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NZ
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WI
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PAK
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BAD
66/1
ASS
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SGT
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BDS
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WIU19-W
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USAU19-W
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BRB-W
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SUR-W
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PNC
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IAC
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SAC
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AAC
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Kishore has now joined the elite list of Indian spinners, including Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, who have also represented Surrey in the past. Alec Stewart, Surrey’s high-performance advisor and former wicketkeeper-batter, welcomed the spinner into the team.
“I’m delighted to bring the highly rated Sai Kishore into our squad for the next two Kookaburra games,” Stewart said. “All the reports I have received from people I respect in the Indian game have spoken highly of him. His four-day record for Tamil Nadu is very good and he brings leadership experience to the group.”
The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has also been exceptional in red-ball cricket. He has picked up 192 wickets in 46 first-class games at an average of 23.51 and an economy rate of 2.76. The left-arm spinner emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season with 53 scalps in just nine games at an average of 18.52. His performance helped Tamil Nadu reach the semi-finals. The southpaw has played three T20Is for India during the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where India won the gold medal under Ruturaj Gaikwad.
However, Kishore has since slipped down the pecking order in red-ball cricket for the national side, with Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey getting an India A call-up for the England tour. However, he has already visited and trained in English conditions, having travelled with the Indian team as a reserve player.
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