This is my last IPL: CSK's Ambati Rayudu leaves everyone confused with retirement post

Ambati Rayudu, a former Indian cricketer, announced that the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be his final year as a player. Rayudu, who has been a member of the cash-rich league since 2010, shared his retirement plans on social media. The 36-year-old batsman from Andhra Pradesh expressed his gratitude to the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings for being a part of his journey in the IPL. However, Rayudu quickly deleted the post from his Twitter account. 

Here is what Rayudu had tweeted about his retirement:-

“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 2 great teams for 13 years. Would love to sincerely thank Mumbai Indians and CSK for the wonderful journey,” said Rayudu in his tweet. 

Rayudu deletes retirement post

It is still not known why Rayudu decided to delete the post. Several media outlets and fans paid tribute to the Hyderabad cricketer on social media. However, it is still unclear if Rayudu has indeed retired or not after deleting his post. CSK CEO has reportedly denied that Rayudu is retired. Harsha Bhogle and Irfan Pathan had tweeted on Rayudu's retirement before the post was deleted. 

Ambati Rayudu: IPL stats

Rayudu's announcement comes only days after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were eliminated from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season owing to poor performance. Rayudu hasn't been at his best this season, scoring 271 runs in 10 innings at an average of 27.10. Despite his poor campaign, Rayudu is still one of CSK's top scorers this season, demonstrating his long-term value to the team. 36-year-old Rayudu was bought in the IPL 2022 auctions by CSK management with a view of him being a middle-order mainstay for the side. 

As far as Rayudu's IPL career is concerned, the Andhra Pradesh-born cricketer made his debut in 2010 for Mumbai Indians. He played for the Maharashtra-based franchise until 2017 before moving his base to Chennai. Rayudu has played a total of 187 matches in the cash-rich league and has scored 4187 runs at an average of 29.28. He has 22 IPL half-centuries and one century to his name.

Image: iplt20.com