Hampshire captain James Vince is likely to miss the 2025 County Championship after being selected as one of six English players for the Pakistan Super League.

James Vince has given up first-class cricket in 2025 to play in the Pakistan Super League despite the ECB's new policy on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs).

The 33-year-old decided to defy the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) new policy on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs), which prohibits players from taking part in foreign leagues during the English summer, including the PSL, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Major League Cricket (MLC), with the notable exception of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Vince, who was signed by former champions Karachi Kings in the Diamond category for the PSL 10, will continue to lead Hampshire's T20 side but has relinquished the club's captaincy after nine years and will not take part in the County Championship scheduled for this summer.

Due to the new guidelines and the PCB's decision to move its flagship tournament to a new April-May slot, Vince was faced with the choice of either skipping the PSL - which came at a significant financial cost - or renegotiating the final year of his Hampshire contract to become a white-ball specialist. He has opted for the latter, which the club confirmed on Wednesday morning.

"I love Hampshire," Vince said. "It's been my club and my home for 16 years, so I want to keep doing my best to keep playing for Hampshire in T20 cricket and hopefully build on our success in the competition [the Blast]. I also have to understand what's best for my family and combine that with the stage of my career that I'm at."

“I am so grateful to everyone at the Utilita Bowl for supporting me through a really difficult time last year and enabling me to take this next step,” he added.

Moreover, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to postpone the PSL to April-May to make way for the 2025 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy also played a role in James Vince’s decision as the league’s schedule for this year coincides with England’s domestic tournaments.

The right-hander has played 216 first-class matches in his illustrious career and has scored 13340 runs at an average of 40.18 with the help of 30 centuries and 58 half-centuries.

He also represented England in 13 Tests, 25 ODIs and 17 T20Is with his last international appearance for the Three Lions coming against Bangladesh in the 50-over format in 2023.