The Vitality Blast runs from May 22 to July 18 and the Falcons have made a long-term plan to remain competitive throughout the tournament. Head of Cricket Mickey Arthur played a key role in the signings, leveraging existing relationships and the club’s positive reputation among foreign players.
Pakistani left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem will represent Derbyshire in the first six matches of the Vitality Blast 2026, including the East Midlands Derby against Notts Outlaws on May 29. Muqeem comes up with international figures of 5 for 3 for Pakistan. His economy rate of 6.35 across 38 T20 matches makes him a notable asset.
Muqeem has previous experience under Mickey Arthur, having played for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. Arthur not only mentioned the spinner’s skill but also his temperament and character, emphasizing that personality plays a crucial role in overseas recruitment.
“Sufyan is a rising star in T20 cricket and someone I have had the pleasure of working with, so I have seen first-hand his quality and resilience in pressure situations. When it comes to recruitment, the person is as important as the player and we have signed a gem in Sufyan. He is hungry for success and I know he will be a fantastic addition to our team for the first half of the Vitality Blast. Mohammad continues to build on strength in his development and we are pleased that he welcomes him back for the second half of the 2026 Vitality Blast. He has been performing at a high level around the world, but he was clear to me last winter that he wanted to return to Derbyshire, and it is exciting that we have managed to get the deal done. Signing overseas players can be difficult with so many overlapping tournaments, so we have done well to sign two current international spinners to ensure we have a balance in our squad throughout the campaign.
Derbyshire welcome Afghan wonderkid Mohammad Ghazanfar for the knockout stages
For the second half of the season and the knockout stages, Derbyshire welcome Afghan wonderkid Mohammad Ghazanfar. Despite being only 19, Ghazanfar was the Falcons’ leading wicket-taker in the 2025 Vitality Blast, with 16 wickets. His standout performance included a spell of 2 for 5 in four overs against Yorkshire in July.
Ghazanfar has almost 100 career wickets across all formats and was named in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2024. Arthur revealed Ghazanfar was keen to return to Derbyshire despite increasing global opportunities, making the deal particularly important for the club.
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