Karun Nair will return to Northamptonshire for seven County Championship fixtures in April and May after he went unsold in the IPL auction.

Northants brought Nair in for the final three matches of last season as part of a failed bid to avoid relegation to Division Two, but his brief stint with the club was a success. He registered scores of 78, 150 and 21 in his three innings and John Sadler, Northants’ head coach, said Nair was his “main target” for 2024.

“Not only did he score some incredible runs for us, his calmness, his temperament, and his hunger for more runs was superb,” Sadler said in a press release. “We are delighted to get him on board with us again and I’m sure he will be a super asset for us again this season.”

His availability for the early stages of the season was unclear until mid-December due to the possibility of IPL commitments, after he was brought in as a replacement by Lucknow Super Giants midway through IPL 2023. But he went unsold at the mini-auction in Dubai, and has now committed to the first seven games of the Championship season.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Northamptonshire for another stint of County Championship cricket.” Nair said. “Our aim is to win games and get promoted and I’m excited to get stuck in with the bat and help the team secure victories.

“I would like to thank the coach and captain for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I was really happy with my form last season and hopefully I can get going right away and put big runs on the board.”

Nair, 32, played six Tests and two ODIs for India, a brief international career which featured an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in late 2016. He remains one of two men to score a triple century for India in Tests alongside Virender Sehwag, who did so twice.

Nair will be replaced by compatriot Prithvi Shaw midway through the English summer. Shaw agreed to return to the club for the second half of the season after a successful stint last year and is due to arrive in June after representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Chris Tremain, the Australian seamer, will feature alongside Nair as Northants’ second overseas player in the first month of the season, while the club recently announced that Sikandar Raza will join them for the T20 Blast.