Ambati Rayudu announces retirement from IPL

AHMEDABAD: Former India ODI specialist and Chennai Super Kings regular Ambati Rayudu on Sunday announced that the IPL final against Gujarat Titans here will be his last game in cash-rich league.

Rayudu, who had retired from international cricket after being overlooked for the 2019 World Cup in England, had a couple of years back announced his retirement from domestic cricket only to retract his decision later.

However, in a tweet on Sunday, the 38-year-old Hyderabadi said that there won't be any U-turn this time around after scoring 139 runs in 15 games.

''2 great teams mi nd 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 hav enjoyed playing this great tournament. Thank u all. No u turn,'' Rayudu tweeted.

In 55 ODIs for India, Rayudu scored 1694 runs with three hundreds and 10 fifties at an average of 47-plus. It was in T20 cricket, however, where he made a big name having been a vital cog in the CSK set-up for close to a decade.

Before Sunday's final, he has played 203 IPL games, scoring 4329 runs at a strike-rate of 127 with 22 half-centuries and a single century. The 602 runs in the 2018 season for CSK was his best effort.

However, it is understood that once he retires from Indians domestic scene, Rayudu is free to ply his trade in various franchise leagues as well as veterans' T20 tournaments.