Former Indian player Ambatti Rayudu signs a deal with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League 2023 which is scheduled to begin on August 17.
Ambati Rayudu joins St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for CPL 2023
Ambati Rayudu becomes the second Indian to play in the Men’s Caribbean Premier League after St Kitts & Nevis Patriots signed him as their marquee player for the upcoming season.
Ambati Rayudu retired from international cricket and Indian cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title in 2023. Texas Super Kings revealed Ambati Rayudu as one of their signings for the inaugural Major League Cricket in the USA.
Five days before the start of the league, Rayudu pulled out in between the BCCI’s proposal to introduce a one-year cooling-off period for retired India players before they can participate in overseas franchise leagues.
If Rayudu is cleared, he will be added to India’s presence in the men’s league. Legspinner Pravin Tambe was the first Indian to play in the men’s CPL when he played with Trinibago Knight Riders in 2020.
Other Indian cricketers Sunny Sohal and Smit Patel have played in the men’s CPL, but they qualified as USA players. This season will see Shrevanka Patil become the first Indian to take part in the Women’s CPL who has been signed by Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Rayudu will link up with former Tamil Nadu allrounder Malolan Rangarajan who has replaced Simon Helmot as Patriot’s head coach.
Malolan has been part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Women’s support staff in the IPL. Robin Singh and Abhishek Nayar had coached many CPL franchises.
“I’m really excited to be joining the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. I look forward to having a positive contribution to the team in the upcoming CPL 2023,” Rayudu said.
“Winning is a habit and losing as a habit becomes far quicker than winning. We’ve got two titles in two years, although in different formats, but we’d ideally like to do a three-peat this year and get another trophy in the house,” told Adhishwar.
“To make it explicitly clear, this year is very, very important on a lot of grounds: for one, on how the previous season went for us. I’m confident in myself and Malolan that we can take a strong step in the right direction and be the strongest contenders for the trophy.”
Rayudu’s presence could help the Patriots to be created by Dwayne Bravo’s return to home team. Rayudu brings with him the experience of playing over 100 IPL and having won six IPL titles, along with Rohit Sharma.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots owner Mahesh Ramani said in a statement, “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.”
As per CPL 2023 schedule, the first match will be played between Saint Lucia Kings and Jamaica Tallawahs on August 16 at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia.
CHECK: CPL 2023 Live Streaming For All Locations – Caribbean Premier League
