New Delhi, June 19 (H.S.): Hampshire County Cricket Club has confirmed a contract with Indian young batsman Tilak Varma. Tilak will join the team for red-ball cricket and will be available for selection in the next four County Championship matches. His first match will be against Essex from June 22 to 25 in Chelmsford.Tilak Verma, who has played 29 international matches for the Indian team, has scored 749 runs in 25 T20 international matches so far, including two centuries, which came in consecutive innings against South Africa in November 2024. He has also hit three half-centuries, including a 72* run innings played against England at the beginning of the year.Known for his performance in T20s and especially in the IPL, Tilak made his debut in the short format in 2019. The Mumbai Indians included him in their team in 2022, and since then he has scored nearly 1500 runs in 54 matches for the franchise, with an average of 37.47 and a strike rate of 144.41. By June 2025, Tilak Varma is at the top among batsmen from any full member country in T20 internationals with the highest average (49.93).
Hampshire’s cricket director Giles White expressed excitement about having a talented player like Tilak in the team for the next four matches. He said, We are extremely excited to have a talented player like Tilak in the team for the next four matches. He has proved his capabilities on the international stage and in the IPL, and we are now eager to see him play for Hampshire.
Tilak Varma’s record in red-ball cricket has also been impressive. He has played 18 first-class matches so far, including two matches for India A in the Duleep Trophy and against England Lions. He has scored over 1200 runs at an average of 50.16, including five centuries and four half-centuries.Hampshire is currently in seventh place in County Championship Division One. Last season, the club achieved its best performance since 2005 by finishing as the runner-up.Tilak Verma’s first appearance at home will be against Worcestershire from June 29 to July 2.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
