Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been signed by Lancashire Cricket for the impending 2021 Royal London Cup. He will arrive at Old Trafford on July 15, ahead of the start of the 50-over tournament, and will remain with the club for the stretch of next one month.
Iyer joins four other Indian cricketers who have played for the club, the most notable of them being wicketkeeper-batsman Farokh Engineer joined the county in 1968 and now serves as a Vice-President of the club. Murali Kartik, Dinesh Mongia, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly are the few others who have played for the Red Rose.
Lancashire Cricket, in celebration of Iyer's signing and the India-England Test series which will be played in September, will also arrange a special Indian Summer events schedule during 2021.
Speaking after agreeing to join Lancashire for the 2021 Royal London Cup, Shreyas said: “Lancashire is a legendary name in English Cricket with a long-standing association with Indian Cricket. I am extremely humbled and honoured to carry the legacy forward of greats like Farokh Engineer, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman at Lancashire.
“Emirates Old Trafford is a world class international stadium and I am looking forward to meeting my teammates and the supporters of the Club.”
Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Paul Allott, added: “Shreyas is one of the shining lights of a new generation of Indian batsman and a leader, and we’re delighted that an opportunity to bring him to Emirates Old Trafford has presented itself.
“With the expectation that we will be fielding a younger side in this year’s Royal London Cup due to the Hundred, it was important that we brought in a top-order batsman with experience at the highest level to enhance our prospects in the tournament.
“Shreyas has experience of captaining in an IPL final as well as playing in top level international fixtures, so his on-field skills, and ability to remain calm in high pressure situations, will serve our young squad well this summer.
“His current form against England has been hugely impressive and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Lancashire Cricket and Emirates Old Trafford later this summer.
“We hope that this signing will reward Members’ patience for not being able to attend Lancashire fixtures last year and demonstrates our continued commitment across all three domestic competitions this summer.”
Lancashire Cricket will begin their Royal London Cp campaign at home against Sussex on July 23.
