Ambati Rayudu's top 5 knocks in the IPL
Ambati Rayudu has announced that he will retire after the IPL 2023 Final. The veteran Indian batter has been one of the top performers in the league's history, having won five championships in his career so far while playing for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Rayudu wanted to retire from IPL last year itself, but he took a U-turn and came back for the 2023 season. In his tweet yesterday, the Chennai Super Kings star clarified that he will not take any U-turns.
Now that Ambati Rayudu has decided to hang up his boots, in this listicle, we will look at the top five knocks from his bat in IPL history.
#1 Ambati Rayudu's best IPL knock - 100* vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2018
IPL 2018 was the best season of Rayudu's career. The Indian batter made his debut for the Chennai Super Kings that season and revived his career with some sensational batting performances at the top of the order.
602 runs from 16 games with a strike rate of 149.8 when CSK returned into IPL after 2 years.
Ambati Rayudu, An IPL legend, thank you for all your memories especially in IPL 2018. https://t.co/rGb5bKE5an
Rayudu hit the only IPL hundred of his career during the 2018 season. He scored an unbeaten 62-ball 100 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MCA Stadium in Pune on May 13, 2018. His knock consisted of seven fours and seven sixes. Rayudu's century helped CSK chase down a 180-run target with one over to spare.
#2 Rayudu's IPL debut - 55 (33) vs. Rajasthan Royals, 2010
Rayudu played his first IPL match on March 13, 2010 for the Mumbai Indians against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Brabourne Stadium. The right-handed batter batted at number five in his maiden IPL innings and smashed a half-century against RR.
Rayudu hit six fours and two sixes in his 33-ball 55. Saurabh Tiwary supported him with a half-century as well, as MI finished with 212/6 in 20 overs. Mumbai won that game by two runs.
#3 Ambati Rayudu's excellent cameo for MI - 30 (10) vs. Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2014
In IPL 2014, Mumbai Indians had to chase down a 190-run target in 14.3 overs against the Rajasthan Royals to qualify for the playoffs. MI were down to 108/4 when Rayudu joined Corey Anderson in the middle.
Thank you Ambati Rayudu for your contribution to Mumbai Indians franchise. This cameo will never be forgotten. https://t.co/cCooNuoqis
The Indian batter smacked a 10-ball 30, whacking five fours and a six. He got run-out before scoring the winning runs, but Aditya Tare smacked a six on the next ball and took MI into the playoffs.
#4 Ambati Rayudu destroys his former team - 72* (27) vs. Mumbai Indians, IPL 2021
Rayudu played one of the most destructive knocks in IPL history on May 1, 2021 against the Mumbai Indians. Playing for CSK at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rayudu aggregated 72 runs off just 27 balls, hitting four fours and seven sixes.
CSK were 116/4 when Rayudu joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja. Rayudu's half-century ensured that Chennai finished with 218/4 on the board even though Jadeja managed only a 22-ball 22.
#5 Ambati Rayudu stars behind closed doors - 71 (48) vs. Mumbai Indians, IPL 2020
IPL returned after a long break in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chennai Super Kings took on the Mumbai Indians in the first-ever IPL game played with zero fans in attendance at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
MI scored 162/9 in their 20 overs. In reply, Rayudu's power-packed 48-ball 71 helped CSK win the match in the final over. He smacked six fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock. Thanks to his brilliant batting, he also won the Man of the Match award.