Grant Stewart expects Kent to immediately challenge for a County Championship Division 1 return.
They will return to the second tier of red-ball cricket for the first time since 2018 under new head coach Adam Hollioake this summer.
And the all-rounder insists the squad is well-placed to compete for red-ball promotion.
He said: “It’ll still be good cricket.
“I guess, coming from Division 1, there will be an expectation to perform well from the outset and be there to get promotion up to Division 1 straight away.
“Obviously, we’ll probably be looked at as one of the teams that should be up the top of that division and I fully expect us to be up there.
“There will be different challenges, but I think we’ll be well-equipped. Hopefully, we’ll start the season well.
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“That’ll be crucial in terms of building a bit of momentum.”
Kent finished bottom of Division 1 in 2024, as well as failing to qualify for the knockout stages in both white-ball formats.
“Last year was a bit of a tough one,” admitted Stewart. “But I guess it’s a bit of motivation, coming into this year.
“It was a tough time – it’s never fun, losing a lot of games – so I guarantee there’s no one in our changing room that will want to re-live that.
“We’ll use that as motivation.”
Other teams among the bookies’ favourites alongside Kent to challenge for the Division 2 title are Lancashire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire.
Stewart, one of few players in the squad to have experienced second-tier cricket at Kent before, having signed in 2017, said: “I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t any differences.
“Obviously, there’s still some absolutely quality players and teams in Division 2.
“But if you compare it to playing against your Surreys, your Hampshires and those sorts of sides, they’re, obviously, very top sides and you face them pretty much week-in week-out in Division 1.
“I would say there’s maybe a slight change but, with Division 2 sides, they’re not going to be walkovers.
“We’re going to have to work hard for our wins so we won’t be taking it lightly.”
Australian Stewart has plenty in common with new head coach Hollioake – a Melbourne-born former England captain – who also was an all-rounder in his playing days before retirement in 2007.
“I have resonated with a few things he has mentioned around his approach to coaching,” said Stewart. “I’m looking forward to working with him.
“He has probably grown up in a similar part of the world to me so there’s probably a few similarities there and I really like his outlook on things.
“Hopefully, it comes together well.”
On a day for Kent youngsters, as 19-year-old Corey Flintoff – the eldest son of legendary former England all-rounder Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff – signed a two-year deal, 23-year-old Joey Evison and 19-year-old Jaydn Denly hit unbeaten centuries on day two of their three-day game with Loughborough UCCE on Monday.
Starting the day 34-2, the 283-run partnership between Evison (152 not out) and Denly (115 not out) transformed the mood at Canterbury’s Spitfire Ground.
Kent ended the day 473-6, sitting 109 runs ahead.
