Former CSK player talks about how CSK veteran should have been part of red-ball cricket

Robin Uthappa (Source: Twitter)

After rain ruined Sunday's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 championship game in Ahmedabad, it was postponed to its scheduled day. Ambati Rayudu, a former Indian batter, declared his retirement from Twenty20 cricket hours from the originally scheduled start for the IPL 2023 finale, involving Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT). The seasoned CSK player posted a sensational tweet during which he announced his decision to retire after the IPL final in 2023.

Rayudu’s statement to announce his retirement

Ambati Rayudu took to Twitter to announce his retirement.

“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", he said. 

Rayudu represented India in 6 T20 Internationals and 55 One Day Internationals (ODI). The veteran hitter has been an essential member of MS Dhoni's CSK team since the T20 tournament's 2018 edition. From 2010 to 2017, Rayudu also worked with the Mumbai Indians (MI), a team that set records.

In 11 matches of the IPL 2023, the middle-order batsman scored 139 runs with a strike rate of 132.38. Rayudu has been a five-time IPL champion and the second-most accomplished player throughout the history of the premier competition. As a member of MI, Rayudu clinched the IPL trophy in 2013, 2015, and 2017. With Dhoni and company, the 37-year-old won the illustrious trophy in 2018 and 2021.

Robin Uthappa spoke to Jio Cinema about the career of Ambati Rayudu and how he should have been part of Test Cricket. He said,

“He has been there, done that, and seen it all. He is one of the most underrated cricketers India has ever produced. He should have played Test cricket, I can't believe he did not play the game. He is an astute student of the game, someone who knows the game inside out. Absolute team man will do anything for the team. Every team would have loved to have him. I have loved him from the age of my junior days."