Jayant Yadav Signs with Puducherry for 2025-26 Domestic Season

India offspinner Jayant Yadav has made a significant move ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season, signing with Puducherry after being granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by Haryana—his home team since making his first-class debut in 2011-12.

The 35-year-old's decision is understood to be driven by a desire to play all three formats, an opportunity he felt was no longer available to him at Haryana. Since the 2023-24 season, Jayant has found himself sidelined in white-ball formats, with Haryana preferring younger spin-bowling allrounders like Nishant Sindhu and Rahul Tewatia.

Despite the limited opportunities in limited-overs cricket, Jayant remained a consistent performer in red-ball cricket. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, he took 28 wickets in eight matches, with his last appearance coming in a quarter-final loss to Mumbai, where he picked up three wickets and contributed 40 runs across two innings.

Jayant brings a wealth of experience to Puducherry’s setup. In 90 first-class matches, he has taken 265 wickets and scored 2924 runs, including three centuries and 14 fifties. His career-best score of 211 came against Karnataka in 2012-13, during which he was part of a record 392-run eighth-wicket partnership with Amit Mishra.

At Puducherry, Jayant will join as one of three designated professionals for the season, alongside Madhya Pradesh allrounder Puneet Datey and Mumbai wicketkeeper Siddhant Adhatrao. He is understood to have been a late addition, replacing Mumbai batter Armaan Jaffer, who is the nephew of former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer.

Jayant last represented India in a Test match against Sri Lanka in February 2022 in Mohali. His international career includes six Tests and two T20Is, spanning from 2016 to 2022. In the IPL, he remains part of the Gujarat Titans squad, having previously turned out for Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.

With this move, Jayant is expected to bring valuable experience and depth to Puducherry’s squad as they aim to make a stronger impact in the upcoming domestic season.