Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu announced that he will retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the final set to be played between his side CSK and the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
"2 great teams MI and CSK, 204 matches, 14 seasons, 11 playoffs, 8 finals, 5 trophies. Hopefully 6th tonight. It’s been quite a journey. I have decided that tonight’s final is going to be my last game in the IPL. I truly enjoyed playing this great tournament. Thank u all. No u turn," Rayudu wrote on Twitter.
Rayudu made his IPL debut back in 2010 when he joined the Mumbai Indians. He remained a part of the team until the 2017 season, during which they secured three titles. In 2018, Rayudu was acquired by CSK, and it turned out to be his most remarkable IPL season, where he scored 602 runs in 16 innings with an impressive average of 43. It was also in that season when he achieved his personal best of an unbeaten century.
In 2022, at the age of 36, he made an early announcement about retiring from the IPL after completing his fifth season with CSK. Rayudu took to Twitter to share the news, expressing his gratitude towards the Mumbai Indians and CSK for the incredible 13-year journey he had with both teams. However, the tweet was later deleted within an hour due to intervention from the CSK management. It is because of this, that he has mentioned that he won't be making a retirement U-turn in his decision ahead of the IPL 2023 final.
IPL 2023 hasn't been the best of seasons with the bat for Rayudu who scored 139 runs from 15 games. He will, however, look to make an Impact, should his services be required in the titular contest.