Cheteshwar Pujara ends Sussex stint ahead of 2025 County season

Cheteshwar Pujara. (Source -Twitter/X)

County side Sussex have relieved Cheteshwar Pujara from duties ahead of the next season. They have retained the services of Daniel Hughes and Jayden Seales, meaning Pujara’s three-year contract with the club came to an end. Notably, the star India batter played six matches in 2024 County Championship Division II before Hughes joined the team. He has made 501 runs in nine innings at an average of 62.22 and has also led the team several times during his three-year stint.

Hughes, on the other hand, played just one game for Sussex in the county championship and scored 48 runs. He will be available for all the championship games next year and will also feature in the T20 Vitality Blast. Meanwhile, he played just one game for Southern Brave in The Hundred 2024 and scored 45 runs. In the Vitality Blast, the 35-year-old played 14 matches for Sussex and scored 560 runs at a strike rate of 170.21.

“Taking over from Cheteshwar is not an easy task, but Dan has fitted in brilliantly and we are all delighted he will be back for the whole of next season. Dan has been top class for us on and off the field,” Farbrace was quoted as saying by Sussex’s official website.

“He has brought a wealth of experience to the dressing room and has seriously helped some of our young batters with the development of their games,” the county’s head coach continued.

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Sussex head coach Farbace rates Seales highly

Meanwhile, Jayden Seales featured in Sussex’s first seven Championship matches this season, taking 38 wickets at an average of 25.29. He recently did a fantastic job for West Indies against England in the two-match Test series and following which, Farbrace described him as a ‘a fabulous bowler and a high-quality person’.

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“He showed on many occasions during the early season that he runs in hard every ball, whatever the conditions and situation in the game. He gave himself a great chance of success every day,” Farbrace stated.