India fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed has pulled out of his multi-format county deal with Essex after just two matches, returning home for personal reasons.
At the end of June, Essex signed Khaleel on a long multi-format county deal, covering six first-class matches and potentially 10 List A games. However, after featuring in just two County Championship 2025 matches, Khaleel is now set to return home early, cutting his season short.
Essex confirmed that Khaleel is set to head home for "personal reasons", ending his time with the club.
"While we are disappointed to see him leave, we fully support Khaleel’s decision and are grateful for the contributions he made during his time with us," the club said in a statement on Monday.
Club Statement: Khaleel Ahmed.
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) July 28, 2025
Essex Cricket can confirm that Khaleel Ahmed has made the decision to return home for personal reasons and will be ending his time with the Club.
➡️ https://t.co/fc0liAGcUa pic.twitter.com/BQVm5f98Bp
How did Khaleel perform for Essex?
Khaleel began his season against Yorkshire, claiming his first county wicket by dismissing out-of-favour England batter and opposition captain Jonny Bairstow in a fiery duel. Against Sussex, which proved to be Khaleel's second and final appearance for the club this season, Essex won by an innings and 39 runs. Across both innings of that Sussex match, he returned figures of 2-46 and 1-64. Khaleel's four wickets in his county stint came at an average of 64.50 and an economy of 4.69.
Before his spell with Essex, Khaleel was part of India A's squad for the unofficial Test series against England Lions. He featured in the opening match, claiming impressive figures of 4-70 from 19 overs. Among his victims were England's rising prospects Jordan Cox and James Rew, along with established Test all-rounder Chris Woakes.
Khaleel became the second Indian player this season to withdraw from his county stint due to "personal reasons". Earlier in July, Ruturaj Gaikwad similarly withdrew from his multi-format contract with Yorkshire, citing the same grounds.
Follow Wisden for all England vs India updates, including live scores, latest news, team lineups, schedule and more. The live streaming details for the ENG vs IND series in India, UK, USA and rest of the world can be found here. For Wisden quizzes, head here.
