Jeet Raval, who played 24 Tests for New Zealand between 2016 and 2020, has retired from professional cricket ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season. The 38-year-old finished with 10,127 first-class runs as an opener and captained Northern Districts to the Plunket Shield title in 2024-25.
Raval spoke to the Northern Districts Cricket Association about his decision. “I feel at peace and very content,” he said. He added that playing for the Black Caps was his childhood dream and also the dream of his father, who moved the family from Gujarat to Auckland so Raval could pursue it.
Jeet Raval’s First-Class Career and Plunket Shield Records
Raval made his first-class debut for Auckland in December 2008 against a touring West Indies side. He began in the middle order but moved to the top and opened in 285 of his 292 first-class innings. He scored 10,127 runs at an average of 37.36 in that position, with 23 centuries.
He became the 30th New Zealander to reach 10,000 first-class runs in December 2025, while captaining Northern Districts. His last competitive match came in March this year, against Central Districts, in the previous Plunket Shield season.
Raval scored 8,662 runs in the Plunket Shield. Only Michael Papps (11,463), Matthew Sinclair (8,842) and Peter Fulton (8,719) have scored more in the history of the competition. He also played for Central Districts during his domestic career, and he featured in 96 List A games for 2,714 runs at an average of 30.15. In T20s, he scored 1,484 runs at an average of 21.50 and a strike rate of 121.44.
New Zealand Test Record and World Test Championship Win
Raval debuted in Tests against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2016. He took 28 innings to reach his first hundred, which remains his only Test century, and he added seven half-centuries. He was part of the New Zealand squad during the first World Test Championship cycle, which the team won in June 2021, and he joined a week-long nationwide tour with the Test mace after the title.
In an interview with Cricinfo last year, Raval said senior players such as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor never made him feel the missing hundred counted against him. His form dropped during a series against England and a major series in Australia, and team management later chose to go another way. He said he was disappointed but glad that another player filled the role the team needed.
Northern Districts Tribute and Life After Cricket
Northern Districts general manager of cricket Ian Sandbrook praised Raval as the ultimate senior pro and leader since he joined the side. “His runs (and wickets!) and calm leadership will be missed,” Sandbrook said in a statement.
Raval also contributed with part-time legspin during the 2024-25 title run. He took 14 wickets at 11.14, including his first five-wicket haul, as Northern Districts used four or five quicks for much of the season and he made use of the footmarks left by Neil Wagner and the other pacers. The title was the franchise’s first in more than a decade.
Late in his career, Raval began coaching and worked as an assistant to head coach Tarun Nethula with the Samoa team. Away from the field, he has practised as a chartered accountant for an auditing firm. That role will likely become his full-time job for now.
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