Robin Uthappa traded off to MS Dhoni-led Chennai from Rajasthan ahead of IPL 2021 auction

Just a day after the franchises' submitted their players' retention list to the BCCI, MS Dhoni-led Chennai have announced their first acquiring of the trading window which has been opened up until February 4. Chennai have acquired the services of veteran wicket-keeper batsman Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan in an all cash deal, the franchise announced on late Thursday night. The move comes despite the team's criticism of housing several senior players, a factor which contributed to its dismal performance in IPL 2020. 

Taking to Twitter, the franchise announced its first trade of the season on Thursday adding to its 18-man strong squad that it retained on Wednesday. The franchise let go of veteran spinner Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh along with Kedar Jadhav increase its purse amount in a bid to inject fresh blood into the lineup during the mini-auction slated to be held in February.

Speaking on the development, Robin Uthappa said, "I really enjoyed my year at the Royals and had a great time being part of this franchise. I am now excited for the next part of my cricketing journey joining Chennai for IPL 2021."

READ | As IPL 2021 Mini-auction Nears, Here's A List Of Players Retained & Released By Franchises

After the release and retention list announced on Wednesday, Chennai had Rs 22.9 crores remaining in its purse for the auction. The details of Robin Uthappa's signings have not been made public yet. Prior to Uthappa, Bangalore roped in Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel from Delhi via the trade window on Wednesday night.

• List of players retained by Chennai: 

N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore.

• Players Released: 

Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, S Watson, M Singh

READ | Chennai Retain Core Despite Dismal IPL 2020; Chawla, Vijay & Jadhav Amongst Those Released

Rajasthan release Steve Smith 

Ahead of the mini-auction for the IPL 2021 slated to be held in February, Rajasthan has let go of their captain Steve Smith after a series of poor performances in the previous edition. Champions of the inaugural IPL edition, Rajasthan finished with a wooden spoon in IPL 2020. The ouster of Steve Smith from Rajasthan means that the franchise will have a new captain for the upcoming edition of the IPL. 

Rajasthan have announced that young gun Sanju Samson will lead the squad in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The youngster, who has played for Delhi before his stint with Rajasthan, was one of the key players for the squad in the IPL 2020. The franchise has also announced that they would be retaining 17 players and will release the remaining 8 players ahead of the mini-auction. Moreover, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been roped in as the team's Director of cricket. 

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