Ambati Rayudu pulls out of CPL due to personal reasons
Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has pulled out midway through the ongoing 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) due to personal reasons, reported ESPNcricinfo. Rayudu was signed up as a marquee player by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He played four matches in the season and had paltry returns. Notably, Rayudu is now retired from Indian cricket. Here are further details.
Retirement from Indian cricket
Rayudu retired from Indian cricket following the conclusion of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on May 29. Earlier this year, he had also pulled out of the inaugural edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC). He was due to represent the Texas Super Kings (TSK). Rayudu's withdrawal came soon after reports emerged that BCCI will introduce a "cooling-off" period for retired players.
A poor stint with Patriots
Rayudu became only the second Indian player to compete in men's CPL after Pravin Tambe. The veteran scored a duck in his debut innings and followed it up with scores of 32 and 15. Across three innings, he managed 47 runs at a strike rate of 117.50. Meanwhile, Rayudu's teammate and Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani has also left the tournament for personal reasons.
Rayudu won six IPL titles
Meanwhile, Rayudu made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2010. He won three titles with them, in 2013, 2015, and 2017. The batter was signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018. He helped the Yellow Army win the title that year. Rayudu was also a part of CSK's title-winning campaigns in 2021 and 2023.
Here are his stats
Rayudu finished with 4,348 runs from 204 matches at an average of 28.23 in the IPL. He smashed one century and 22 fifties, with his highest score being 100*. 1,932 of his runs have come in 90 appearances for CSK at 29.72 (50s: 8, 100: 1). Overall, he has hammered 6,075 runs across 295 T20s at 26.29 (SR: 124.74).
