Glenn Maxwell will make his Surrey debut at The Ageas Bowl later this month – after Hampshire decided not to re-sign him.

The Australian, left, was the catalyst for Hampshire’s t20 success last year, but his first game for Surrey will be against his former teammates on June 26 – the night the Royals begin their t20 defence.

Sohail Tanvir will be Hampshire’s only overseas FLt20 player.

White said: “Maxi was always in our thoughts but probably doesn’t fit the balance of our squad right now. “We’re happy with Sohail as our one overseas, we feel we’ve got the right balance as it is.

"The players that won us two one-day comps last year are growing and need opportunities. “We’ll complement them with Sohail in an area we feel will help.

“George Bailey may come in if we have an injury but the batting order picks itself, with players in good form.”

Maxwell scored 66 not out (32 balls) at Kent followed by an unbeaten 60 (24 balls) at Essex to fire the Royals into the knockout stages last year.

His 264 runs at 37.7 for Hampshire came from only 134 balls (an outstanding strike rate of 197) and included three appearances for the county at the Champions League in October.

Maxwell’s Hampshire stint was one chapter of a remarkable year that included his first appearance at the Indian Premier League, a stint for South Wilts in the Southern Electric Premier League and his ODI and t20 international debuts for Australia.

He made his Test debut earlier this year and then became the IPL’s most expensive signing when he was bought by Mumbai Indians for $1m, but he only played three games in the IPL.

The 24 year-old will be playing at least the first seven games of Surrey’s campaign.