Former India cricketer and currently an Indian Premier League (IPL) winner with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Ambati Rayudu has announced his retirement from the cash-rich league, the 36-year-old said via Twitter on Saturday, May 14.
"I am happy to announce that this will be my last IPL. I have had a wonderful time playing it and being a part of two great teams for 13 years. Would love to sincerely thank Mumbai Indians and CSK for the wonderful journey," Rayudu tweeted about his decision.
The veteran batter has been a regular part of the IPL since the 2010 season, first starting off with Mumbai Indians (MI), before joining CSK ahead of the 2018 IPL season. In 187 IPL matches over the seasons, Rayudu has scored 4187 runs for the, including an unbeaten 100 for Chennai during the 2018 season, his highest score in the IPL to date.
Rayudu has won the IPL a massive five times, making him one of the most successful players in the cash-rich league to date. These include three with MI in 2013, 2015, 2017 and then with CSK in the 2018 and 2021 IPL seasons.
A lynchpin of the middle order whenever he played for club or country, Rayudu announced his arrival to the sport with a lovely 177 that he scored as a 16-year-old against an England U-19 team in 2002. Stints at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and an outstanding season in domestic cricket only enhanced his reputation.
An aggressive batter, Rayudu was retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2011 when all the teams got a makeover. Given his consistent run over the next three seasons, Rayudu was again retained by MI prior to IPL 2014, after winning his first trophy with the club.
His most successful season with his debut season with CSK, when Rayudu scored 602 runs (including the aforementioned century). He averaged 43 runs at a strike rate of 149.75 and scored three half-centuries. This includes a brilliant cameo of 18 runs from 19 balls alongside Shane Watson to deliver CSK's third IPL trophy and his fourth.
The 36-year-old has since deleted the tweet, sparking a debate on whether Rayudu is actually retiring or not.
