The club said that Rahane is expected to arrive in June following his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings.

“I’m really happy to be joining Leicestershire for the upcoming season,” Rahane said in a statement. “I can’t wait to play alongside my new teammates and explore the vibrant city of Leicester.”

“I’m extremely excited to welcome Ajinkya to Leicestershire,” the club’s director of cricket Claude Henderson said. “He comes with a lot of experience and a tremendous work ethic. It’s a great opportunity for us to tap into that.

“I had conversations with (Assistant Coach) Alfonso Thomas and (Head Coach) Paul Nixon, who had eyed Ajinkya in the past, so he was always on our radar. It was a case of seeing what the team needed, which was definitely a senior overseas batsman, so we are delighted to have secured someone of Ajinkya’s calibre.”