Last Update on: August 11th, 2023 at 04:39 pm
Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu is all set to become the second Indian player to play in the men’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The right-handed batsman will be plying his trade for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the tournament after the franchise signed him as their marquee player for the upcoming season.
The 37-year-old announced his retirement from international and Indian cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings win the Indian Premier League in May this year. The BCCI does not let active players to participate in overseas T20 leagues but retired players can play in those competitions.
However, recent reports suggested that the Indian cricket board is likely to introduce a one-year cooling-off period for retired Indian players before they can participate in overseas franchise leagues. It could be one of the reasons why Ambati Rayudu pulled out of the Major League Cricket after signing up for Texas Super Kings. While the BCCI has not introduced the policy yet, it would be interesting to see whether Ambati Rayudu gets to play in the CPL or not.
Ambati Rayudu to become second Indian player in CPL:
If Ambati Rayudu gets the green light from the BCCI to play in the CPL, he will be the second Indian player and definitely the most high-profile name from the country to play in the tournament. Before him, leg-spinner Pravin Tambe had played in the CPL in 2020.
“I’m really excited to be joining the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. I look forward to having a positive contribution for the team in the upcoming CPL 2023,” Rayudu said.
Ambati Rayudu’s addition will be a big boost for the Patriots who have lost the services of star allrounder Dwayne Bravo after the latter returned to his home franchise TKR. The veteran batsman has ample experience in T20 cricket.
He played in the IPL from 2010 and 2023 and remained one of the biggest names in the tournament throughout. During his illustrious IPL career, Ambati Rayudu scored 4348 runs in 204 matches with the help of 1 century and 22 fifties. He has also won six IPL titles.
“I am sure Ambati’s seasoned expertise of having won multiple championships with various teams in an illustrious career in India will undoubtedly enrich the experience of our young players as we chase our second CPL title in 2023,” said Patriots owner Mahesh Ramani.
Meanwhile, CPL 2023 will be played from August 16 to September 24. The Patriots will open their campaign against TKR on August 19 in St Lucia.
