Robin Uthappa has played for few franchises during his Indian Premier League (IPL) career but he won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Before IPL 2023 Qualifier clash between CSK and defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT), Uthappa posted a tweet supporting MS Dhoni-led side that received backlash from KKR fans. After hateful comments from KKR fans, Uthappa posted a tweet that he is “not surprised” at the hate he has received. On May 24, Uthappa clarified what made Uthappa chose CSK over KKR despite spending his IPL glory days at the latter.
Uthappa's tweets after backlash from KKR fans
“So much has been said since last night & I thank you for sharing. However I have always maintained that my 1st 4 yrs in KKR wen gauti led was completely diff from my last 2 years and that had a huge impact on my performances. I can assure you it had nothing to do with Captaincy!,” Uthappa tweeted.
In KKR’s second title win in the 2014 edition of IPL, Uthappa won the orange cap as he scored 660 runs from 16 games games at an average of 44 including five half-centuries.
“After Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) was let go, everything changed and i felt alienated. However my love for the fans of KKR was the same and will remain the same forever. I’m forever grateful for their support and I wanna clarify that!! This isn’t about the fans of KKR. I’ll forever love and respect em (them),” Uthappa wrote in another tweet.
Uthappa's debut season with CSK
The 37-year-old warmed the benches for a better part of the tournament in IPL 2021. He got a chance to play in the ending stages of the season. From four games, he has scored 115 runs from four games including high score of 63. In the IPL 2021 final against his former franchise KKR, he contributed with a 15-ball 31 cameo.
Uthappa's last IPL season
After IPL 2021 triumph, Uthappa had a forgettable season for CSK scoring 230 runs from 12 matches at an average of 20.91 including two half-centuries. He wasn't retained for the following season.
Which franchise would Uthappa play if he had the chance?
The Karnataka-born batter announced his retirement from IPL and later represented Dubai Capitals in UAE’s International League T20. Recently, he was asked which franchise he would play for if he had the chance to which he replied CSK.
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