County cricket ins and outs – all the signings, departures and overseas arrivals ahead of the 2026 season | Cricket News


Keep up to speed with all the signings, departures and overseas players in county cricket for the 2026 season.

DERBYSHIRE

Ins: Matt Montgomery (Nottinghamshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)

Outs: David Lloyd (retired), Alex Thomson (released)

Overseas players: Caleb Jewell (Australia), Mohammad Abbas (Pakistan), Sufiyan Muqeem (Pakistan – first six Vitality Blast matches), AM Ghazanfar (Afghanistan – second half of Vitality Blast)

Shoaib Bashir, England cricket training, The Ashes (PA Images)
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England spinner Shoaib Bashir will join Derbyshire after leaving Somerset

Pakistan's Mohammad Abbas, Test cricket (Associated Press)
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Experienced Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas has signed a two-year deal with Derbyshire and will now play for his fourth English county after previous spells with Hampshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire

DURHAM

Ins: Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Archie Bailey (Gloucestershire), Shafiqullah Ghafar

Outs: Mitchell Killeen (Essex), Paul Coughlin (Lancashire), Bas de Leede (released in order to prioritise international commitments with Netherlands)

Overseas players: David Bedingham (South Africa), Kemar Roach (West Indies – County Championship, April to mid-June)

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach, Test cricket (Associated Press)
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West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach has joined Durham for County Championship cricket from April to mid-June

ESSEX

Ins: Zaman Akhter (Gloucestershire), Mitchell Killeen (Durham)

Outs: Nick Browne (retired), Adam Rossington, Jamal Richards (both released)

Overseas players: Wiaan Mulder (South Africa – County Championship and Vitality Blast, April to June), Simon Harmer (South Africa)

GLAMORGAN

Ins: Sean Dickson (Somerset)

Outs: Sam Northeast (Kent), Tom Bevan (released), James Harris (retired)

Overseas players: Colin Ingram (South Africa), Nathan McAndrew (Australia – whole of Vitality Blast, plus two County Championship matches in June)

Gabe Bell, Tasmania, Sheffield Shield cricket (Getty Images)
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Australian seam bowler Gabe Bell has joined Gloucestershire for the first six games of the 2026 County Championship season

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Ins: Craig Miles (Warwickshire), Will Williams (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire – Vitality Blast only)

Outs: Archie Bailey (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Dom Goodman, Tom Price (both Sussex), Josh Shaw (Somerset)

Overseas players: Cameron Bancroft (Australia), Gabe Bell (Australia – first six County Championship matches), D’Arcy Short (Australia – Vitality Blast), Liam Scott (Australia – Vitality Blast and two County Championship matches in June)

HAMPSHIRE

Ins: Jake Lehmann

Outs: Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Benny Howell (Nottinghamshire), Joseph Eckland (released)

Overseas players: Kyle Abbott (South Africa), Tristan Stubbs (South Africa – Vitality Blast), Hilton Cartwright (Australia – Vitality Blast)

South Africa's Senuran Muthusamy celebrates his maiden hundred in Test cricket (Associated Press)
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South Africa’s spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy will play for Kent in 2026

KENT

Ins: Matt Milnes (Yorkshire), Sam Northeast (Glamorgan)

Outs: Nathan Gilchrist (Warwickshire), Jack Leaning (Sussex), Marcus O’Riordan, Mohammed Rizvi (both released), George Garrett (retired)

Overseas players: Keith Dudgeon (South Africa), Glenton Stuurman (South Africa – County Championship, until May 18), Senuran Muthusamy (South Africa – County Championship and Vitality Blast, from May 22), Tom Rogers (Australia – Vitality Blast)

Jack Leaning, county cricket (Getty Images)
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Jack Leaning has left Kent to join Sussex on a three-year deal

LANCASHIRE

Ins: Ajeet Singh Dale (Gloucestershire), Paul Coughlin (Durham)

Outs: Will Williams (Gloucestershire), Josh Boyden (released)

Overseas players: Marcus Harris (Australia), Mitch Perry (Australia – County Championship, April and May), Chris Green (Australia – Vitality Blast), Ben McDermott (Australia – Vitality Blast)

LEICESTERSHIRE

Ins: Ben Green, Josh Davey (both Somerset), Stephen Ezkinazi (Middlesex), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire)

Outs: Louis Kimber (Northamptonshire), Matt Salisbury, Roman Walker (both released), Chris Wright, Harry Swindells (both retired)

Overseas players: Peter Handscomb (Australia), Ajaz Patel (New Zealand), Ashton Turner (Australia – Vitality Blast)

Keshav Maharaj, South Africa, ODI cricket (Associated Press)
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South Africa spin bowler Keshav Maharaj will not play for Leicestershire as originally planned, with New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel replacing him

MIDDLESEX

Ins:

Outs: Stephen Eskinazi (Leicestershire)

Overseas players:

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Ins: Louis Kimber (Leicestershire), Calvin Harrison (Nottinghamshire)

Outs: Freddie Heldreich (released)

Overseas players: Nathan McSweeney (Australia), Harry Conway (Australia – first two months of the season), Yuzvendra Chahal (India – second half of the season), Chris Lynn (Australia – Vitality Blast)

Australia's Nathan McSweeney, Test cricket (Associated Press)
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Australia batter Nathan McSweeney will play county cricket for Northamptonshire in 2026

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Ins: Benny Howell (Hampshire – Vitality Blast contract), George Munsey (Vitality Blast contract)

Outs: Matt Montgomery (Derbyshire), Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire), Sammy King, Dane Schadendorf (both released)

Overseas players: Kyle Verreynne (South Africa – County Championship only), Fergus O’Neill (Australia – April-June), Mohammad Ali (Pakistan – August-September), George Linde (South Africa – Vitality Blast), Peter Siddle (Australia – Vitality Blast)

Benny Howell, Hampshire, Vitality Blast cricket (PA Images)
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Benny Howell has left Hampshire to join Nottinghamshire but will only play in the Vitality Blast

SOMERSET

Ins: Josh Shaw (Gloucestershire)

Outs: Kasey Aldridge (Durham), Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire), Sean Dickson (Glamorgan), Josh Davey, Ben Green (both Leicestershire), Andy Umeed (released)

Overseas players: Migael Pretorius (South Africa), Riley Meredith (Australia – Vitality Blast), Daniel Sams (Australia – Vitality Blast)

Riley Meredith, Somerset, Vitality Blast, T20 cricket (Getty Images)
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Australia seamer Riley Meredith will return to Somerset for the 2026 Vitality Blast

SURREY

Ins: TBC

Outs: TBC

Overseas players: Sean Abbott (Australia – first eight County Championship matches and whole of Vitality Blast)

SUSSEX

Ins: Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Dom Goodman, Tom Price (both Gloucestershire), Jack Leaning (Kent)

Outs: Ari Karvelas, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Zach Lion-Cachet, Henry Rogers (all released)

Overseas players: Jaydev Unadkat (India – June-September)

Australia's Beau Webster, Test cricket (Associated Press)
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Australia all-rounder Beau Webster will play for Warwickshire in the first half of the 2026 county season

WARWICKSHIRE

Ins: Jordan Thompson (Yorkshire), Nathan Gilchrist (Kent), Keith Barker (Hampshire)

Outs: Moeen Ali (Yorkshire), Chris Rushworth (retired), Danny Briggs (Sussex), Craig Miles (Gloucestershire)

Overseas players: Beau Webster (Australia – for first half of the season)

WORCESTERSHIRE

Ins: None

Outs: Tom Hinley, Yadvinder Singh (both released)

Overseas players: Beyers Swanepoel (South Africa – County Championship), Usama Mir (Pakistan – Vitality Blast), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe – Vitality Blast)

Andrew 'AJ' Tye bowls for Perth Scorchers in the Men's Big Bash League in 2021 (Associated Press)
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Australian seam bowler Andrew ‘AJ’ Tye has joined Yorkshire for the Vitality Blast

YORKSHIRE

Ins: Moeen Ali (Vitality Blast only), Andrew Tye (Vitality Blast only), Sam Whiteman

Outs: Dawid Malan (Gloucestershire), Jonny Tattersall (Leicestershire), Jordan Thompson (Warwickshire), Matt Milnes (Kent)

Overseas players: Logan van Beek (Netherlands – first eight County Championship matches and Vitality Blast), Jhye Richardson (Australia – first block of County Championship matches), Will Sutherland (Australia – Vitality Blast and two County Championship matches in June), Naveen Ul-Haq (Afghanistan – Vitality Blast)

Dawid Malan, Yorkshire, County Championship (SWPix)
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Former England batter Dawid Malan has joined Gloucestershire on a two-year T20 contract after leaving Yorkshire by mutual consent

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