Home
Uttar Pradesh's 31-year-old pacer Ankit Rajpoot announced his retirement from Indian cricket on Monday, December 16. Ankit Rajpoot also represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ankit Rajpoot announces retirement from Indian cricket
Ankit, who recently featured for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match, took to social media to announce his retirement. Ankit while making the announcement, expressed his intention to explore opportunities in foreign T20 leagues. Notably, this trend of Indian cricketers seeking international T20 leagues has become increasingly common, with Unmukt Chand, the 2012 U-19 World Cup-winning captain, being a prominent example.
Rajpoot's career highlight was his impressive performance in the 2016 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he bagged 14 wickets at an average of 14.21, contributed to Uttar Pradesh's successful campaign. He was a valuable member of the Chennai Super Kings squad during the 2013 and 2014 IPL seasons.
The pacer, whose career spanned from 2009-2024, in his social media post wrote that he is grateful for the opportunities given to him by Board of Control for India (BCCI), Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association.
Here's what his Ankit Rajpoot's social media post read:
"Today, with immense gratitude & humility, I announce my retirement from Indian Cricket. My journey from 2009-2024 has been the most wonderful period of my life.
"I am grateful for the opportunities given to me by the Board of Control for India, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Kanpur Cricket Association Ipl franchise Chennai super king, Kolkata knight Rider, kings 11, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow Super Giants. To all my team-mates, coaches, especially thanks to physio Dr Saif Naqvi, my coach shashi sir and support staff; It has been an absolute privilege to have played with you all, and, I thank you all for helping turn my dream into reality. To all my fans who have supported me through the ups & downs, I will forever cherish the moments I spent with you all and your support has always been a source of motivation for me. I would like to thank my family & friends for their unconditional love and support throughout my career. They have been my backbone and without them, I would not have been able to achieve what I have today."
"I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in a new and different environment. I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a Cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life. I wish the best of luck to all the teammates from the various teams I’ve been a part of.
Thank you for all the memories."
Rajpoot also expressed his gratitude to the five IPL teams he represented: Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Lucknow Super Giants.
Throughout his career, Rajpoot participated in 80 First-Class matches, 50 List A matches, and 87 T20 matches, claiming 248, 71, and 105 wickets, respectively. In the 2016 IPL auction, he gained significant recognition when Kolkata Knight Riders acquired him for a substantial sum of 1.5 crore. Rajpoot's most recent appearance was in the Ranji Trophy against Haryana, where he failed to take a wicket in 16 overs. His first-class debut came in the 2012-13 season against Karnataka, where he impressed by claiming three wickets, including the crucial dismissals of Manish Pandey, KB Pawan, and Stuart Binny.
