Leicestershire will play in the top flight of the County Championship for the first time in over two decades after sealing a long-awaited promotion.
The Foxes were relegated from Division One in 2003 after finishing bottom and have featured in the second tier ever since.
Leicestershire were the only team yet to be promoted since the Championship split into two divisions in 2000 but ended that hoodoo after a draw at home to Gloucestershire.
That result, coupled with the stalemate between third-placed Derbyshire and fourth-placed Middlesex at Lord’s, means the Midlanders cannot now finish outside the top two.
Top-order batter Sol Budinger’s run have been important for Leicestershire this season
Leicestershire ended up bottom of Division Two eight times between 2009 and 2022 and in four of those seasons they failed to win a match, registering back-to-back winless campaigns in 2013 and 2014 and then going blank again in 2017 and 2022.
However, the 1975, 1996 and 1998 County Championship winners have won six matches so far in 2025, a tally they will look to increase across their final two matches, at home to Kent from Monday and then at Northamptonshire from September 24.
Rehan Ahmed’s efforts with bat and ball have helped Leicestershire to promotion
Rehan Ahmed – who did not play against Gloucestershire this week because of England commitments – Peter Handscomb, Sol Budinger and Lewis Hill have all scored over 600 runs for the Foxes, with Ahmed hitting five centuries batting in the top three.
Leg-spinning all-rounder Ahmed has also contributed 23 wickets, including 13 in one game against Derbyshire, while Logan van Beek, Ian Holland and Ben Green have all taken in excess of 30 wickets – the latter during a spell on loan from Somerset ahead of a permanent switch from 2026 onwards.
Against Gloucestershire, Leicestershire were 93-1 from 30.3 overs in a chase of 316 before the afternoon’s third rain interruption forced umpires to abandon play on the final day shortly after 4pm.
