Hampshire: Rishi Patel and Fynn Hudson-Prentice sign for 2027

Hampshire have signed opening bat Rishi Patel and all-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice on all-format deals for the 2027 season.

The pair will join the Rose and Crown following the conclusion of the current campaign with Leicestershire and Sussex respectively.

Patel, 27, who is the Foxes’ leading scorer in County Championship Division One this season with 587 runs, including a top score of 164, but announced last week that he would be leaving Grace Road.

He helped Leicestershire win promotion last summer and has scored over 3,500 runs for the club, with eight hundreds, since joining in 2021.

Hudson-Prentice has taken 196 wickets and scored more than 4,000 runs in two spells for Sussex across all formats of the game.

The 30-year-old joined Derbyshire in 2019 and spent three years with them before returning to Hove in 2022 where he played a key role in them winning promotion from Division Two two years later.

“They are experienced, high-quality players who will add strength to our squad,” Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said.

“Rishi has established himself as a consistent run scorer at the top of the order and will strengthen our batting line-up while Fynn has been a reliable performer with the ball over a number of seasons and also provides significant depth with the bat.

“Together, they will add quality, experience and balance to the squad, and we look forward to seeing them at the Utilita Bowl next summer.”