Leicestershire batsman Rishi Patel will leave at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old has been instrumental in helping the Foxes go from a team that spent years struggling as a first-class county to one that has won two major titles in recent years.

He was part of the Leicestershire team that ended the 38-year wait for a List A trophy when they won the One Day Cup in 2023 and, two years later, part of the County Championship team that won promotion and became winners of the Division Two title.

Patel is Leicestershire’s top scorer in the four-day game this season, with 587 runs, including a top score of 164 against Surrey in their tie earlier in the season.

The batsman said he had “decided to make a change” after six years at the Foxes and added it was “the right time” to move on.

“It was a difficult decision to leave a club that gave me the opportunity to play professional cricket,” he told the club’s website., external

“Leicestershire will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Leicestershire director of cricket Claude Henderson said he tried to convince Patel to stay but said the club “respected his decision” to leave.