Hampshire captain Nic Pothas welcomes Kevin Pietersen back to the Rose Bowl this weekend, declaring: "The Indian Premier League's loss is our gain."

Pietersen will play his first game for Hampshire since last season's Friends Provident Trophy final when the Hawks host the Somerset Sabres under the Rose Bowl floodlights tomorrow (2.30pm start).

The England star has also been made available to play against the Gloucestershire Gladiators at the Rose Bowl on Sunday afternoon (12pm start) in another important FP Trophy south/west group game.

Pothas, who will captain Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy while Dimitri Mascarenhas is playing in the IPL, is delighted to have Pietersen back on his side.

He said: "The IPL is a much weaker competition without KP so sports fans in Hampshire should make the most of the chance to watch him play at the Rose Bowl in these two games.

"It's always an honour to have a guy of his calibre in the side and we're all looking forward to seeing him play."

For full story see today's Daily Echo.