Ambati Rayudu of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) caused a stir on Saturday when he tweeted that the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will be his final appearance in the tournament. However, Rayudu deleted the retirement tweet minutes later, sending netizens into a frenzy.
“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,” read Rayudu’s tweet on his official Twitter account.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan responded to his tweet with, “I’ve known you since we were in our u-19 years. Always be proud of your batting and the energy you put forth on the field. Best wishes for your upcoming journey, brother. @RayuduAmbati, you have done extremely well and should be very proud of yourself.”
However, after Rayudu deleted the tweet, fans were left wondering why he retracted his original retirement announcement. Rayudu was brought back by Chennai in the IPL Mega Auction for INR 6.2 crores and has scored 271 runs in 12 matches at an average of 27.10 and strike-rate of 124.31, making him the side’s third-highest run-getter in IPL 2022.
Chennai’s CEO Kasi Viswanathan said to NDTV that Rayudu is not retiring from the IPL. “He was a bit disappointed that he was not doing well. So, he mistakenly put out that tweet. I have explained things to him. He is not retiring. He will be with us.”
Previously, Rayudu, a five-time IPL winner, had announced retirement from all formats of the game in 2019 after being overlooked for India’s 15-member squad in Men’s Cricket World Cup. But he soon made a u-turn and returned to playing cricket in the domestic arena as well as the IPL.
(Inputs from IANS)