Sol Budinger joins Leicestershire on loan ahead of permanent move

Budinger has made 17 List A appearances for Nottinghamshire, scoring 523 runs at 32.68, and nine T20 appearances, scoring 96 runs and taking two wickets

Sol Budinger has joined Leicestershire on loan for the remainder of the 2022 season ahead of a permanent move to the county.

The 23-year-old has signed a two-year contract with Leicestershire, bringing to an end his association with Nottinghamshire.

Budinger, a top-order batter, made his debut for Nottinghamshire in June 2021 and went on to make 17 List A appearances, scoring 523 runs at 32.68, and nine T20 appearances, scoring 96 runs and taking two wickets.

This summer, he also featured in The Hundred, making one appearance for Birmingham Phoenix as a replacement for Liam Livingstone.

Budinger is available for selection with immediate effect.

^{Budinger in action for Nottinghamshire during the 2022 Royal London Cup [Dan Mullan/Getty Images]}

Commenting on moving to Leicestershire, Budinger said: "The opportunity came up a few months ago, and it was too good to miss out on. Leicestershire is a great club with a great history, so I see it as the perfect place for me to really kick on and win some games alongside an exciting young team.

"Hopefully I can add some valuable contributions to a few wins and kickstart some momentum for next year. The team had fantastic T20 and 50-over campaigns, so hopefully we can continue to progress next year, get to a final, and win some silverware."

Director of cricket, Claude Henderson, added: "We are delighted to welcome Sol to Leicestershire. He boasts a strong skillset, and we were incredibly impressed by both his hunger to improve and his determination to flourish across all three formats."

Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores, admitted it was "sad" to see a player with Budinger's "potential" leave the club: "We pride ourselves on creating opportunities for our players on and off the field, and Sol has benefited from that environment during his time at the club.

"He has developed year-on-year since joining us at 18, which is both a credit to him and the support staff around him. It's always sad to see a player of his potential move on, though we also understand his desire to play more first team cricket.

"We have focussed in recent years on building a strong squad which possesses the depth to be competitive in every format and maintains competition for places. Sol has had a big role to play in that squad effort and the exciting young talent we have at the club bodes well for the future.

"Whilst we would have liked for him to stay, we respect his decision and look forward to seeing how his game progresses in the coming years."