Middlesex won their first Championship title since 1993 on the final day of the 2016 season
All the signings, moves and news from every county in the build-up to and during the 2017 season.
Counties are allowed to field two overseas players in Twenty20 games, with up to four registered for that competition, although only two can be registered at any one time, and registrations must be for a minimum of 10 days.
Only one overseas player is permitted in the County Championship and One-Day Cup competitions.
Guide to abbreviations
KPK: Kolpak contract
REL: Released
RET: Retired
YTH: From youth teams
EUP: European Union passport
UKP: Born overseas, but has UK passport
Also shows, where relevant, players' previous counties
Kolpak contracts are signed by foreign players, using a European Court ruling to avoid counting against the quota of one overseas player per club.
Players who moved counties or retired during the 2016 season are included on the 2016 list. Have we missed anyone? Please let us know.
DERBYSHIRE
Overseas player: Jeevan Mendis (Sri Lanka, until June); Imran Tahir (South Africa, from June after Champions Trophy); Matt Henry (New Zealand, for Twenty20)
Other news: The county have announced a new coaching set-up, with ex-captain Kim Barnett as director of cricket, supported by Twenty20 specialist coach John Wright, first XI support coach Steve Stubbings and development coach Mal Loye. AJ Harris has left his post as academy director, while seamer Tony Palladino has taken a player-coach role. Championship captain Billy Godleman will also lead the one-day side following Durston's departure, with new vice-captain Wilson skippering the T20 side.
DURHAM
Overseas player: Stephen Cook (South Africa, for first half of season); Tom Latham (New Zealand, for second half of season)
Overseas player: Neil Wagner (New Zealand, for first half of season, then for last three Championship games); Mohammad Amir (Pakistan, from 19 June); Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh, for Twenty20 match on 9 July)
Other news: Hampshire were reprieved from relegation because of Durham's financial problems. Craig White has replaced Dale Benkenstein as head coach. Overseas signing Bailey will skipper the County Championship side, with club captain James Vince still leading in limited-overs cricket.
KENT
Overseas player: Wayne Parnell (South Africa, until mid-May); Adam Milne (New Zealand, after Champions Trophy); Yasir Shah (Pakistan, 8 June-6 July); Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand, for Twenty20)
Other news: Ex-England batsman James Taylor has joined as a coaching consultant, with former Northants captain David Sales taking a part-time coaching role. Sri Lanka's Seekkuge Prasanna's planned T20 spell was ended by a hamstring injury.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Overseas player: Dan Christian (Australia, for Twenty20); Ish Sodhi (New Zealand, for Twenty20); James Pattinson (Australia, until 16 May, then 13 June-1 July); Cheteshwar Pujara (India, mid-May to mid-June, then from 23 August)
Overseas player: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka); Aaron Finch (Australia, primarily for Twenty20 but also as Championship cover while Sangakkara is at the Caribbean Premier League); Moises Henriques (Australia, for Twenty20 while Sangakkara is at the CPL)
Overseas player: Vernon Philander (South Africa, until mid-June); Ross Taylor (New Zealand, for Twenty20); Jerome Taylor (West Indies, for One-Day Cup group stage)
Other news: Ashley Giles has returned to Edgbaston from Lancashire as sport director, replacing Dougie Brown, while Jim Troughton has moved up from assistant coach to become first-team coach. Ian Bell stepped down as captain on 20 August and was replaced by Jonathan Trott in the Championship, with Grant Elliott taking the T20 captaincy.
