Ambati Rayudu announces IPL retirement: Ambati Rayudu, the star batsman for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will play his last IPL match on Sunday night when the team CSK will lock horns against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. A couple of hours prior to the season finals in Ahmedabad, the veteran batsman tweeted a confirmation of the news.
Beginning his IPL career with Mumbai Indians and making his name in Team India as well, Ambati Rayudu played 8 seasons there until he got the chance to play in the yellow jersey. Rayudu, who has been part of the CSK since 2018, won two titles with the franchise.
Ambati Rayudu’s Announcement
In his retirement note, he confirmed that there is no U-Turn this time. He wrote, “2 great teams MI and CSK, 204 matches, 14 seasons, 11 playoffs, 8 finals, 5 trophies, hopefully 6th tonight. It’s been quite a journey. I have decided that tonight’s final is going to be my last game in the Ipl. I truly have enjoyed playing this great tournament. Thank u all. No u-turn 😂🙏.“
Ambati Rayudu made his debut in IPL in 2010 with Mumbai Indians. When Mumbai Indians won the championship in 2013, Rayudu got his first taste of tournament victory. It was the franchise’s first championship as well. The batter participated in every game of the season and went on to win two additional titles in 2015 and 2017 before joining CSK the following year.
After 2017, Rayudu established himself as a power hitter on MS Dhoni’s team. In the yellow jersey, he experienced some of his highest IPL strike rates, striking at 149.75 in his first season with the CSK when the team won the league title in 2018. Rayudu scored 602 runs in 16 games for the team, making it his greatest season to date in terms of runs scored.
Ambati Rayudu and CSK both had disappointing seasons in the previous year; CSK ended ninth in the standings, while this experienced Indian batsman declared his retirement midway through the campaign. However, Rayudu changed his mind and kept up his support for the franchise. This time, he has confirmed, there is no U-Turn.
For more details head to IPL’s official website.