[Picture] “Texcited” – Ambati Rayudu joins Texas Super Kings for inaugural MLC 2023 after IPL retirement
Ambati Rayudu, who recently won the IPL trophy with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has joined its Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Texas Super League, weeks after his retirement from the Indian T20 league. The 37-year-old confirmed his joining with a refreshing selfie wearing the team jersey and cowboy hat on Twitter. He captioned the post:
“Same yellove…. Different continent… Texcited…”
Same yellove…. Different continent… Texcited… https://t.co/23chhztHkK
The announcement comes weeks after Rayudu, in his retirement tweet, confirmed that there will be "no u-turn" on his decision.
The right-handed batter will bring the experience of 204 IPL games in the MLC 2023. Rayudu finished with 4348 runs, including a ton and 22 fifties in the IPL. He has lifted three IPL trophies each with CSK and Mumbai Indians (MI).
🏻ATR - Ambati "Texas" Rayudu 💪🏻
@RayuduAmbati
@MLCricket
#yellovetexas #MajorleagueCricket #WhistleforTexas https://t.co/vke15d81Zq
Other notable signings by the Super Kings are CSK’s Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, and Devon Conway. They will be joining the likes of Gerald Coetzee, David Miller, and Daniel Sams, whose acquisition have been announced so far.
The squad size can be a maximum of 19 players, with a maximum of nine overseas players. Only six international players are permitted in the playing XI.
Stephen Fleming will serve as the head coach, while Albie Morkel and Eric Simons have appointed as assistant coaches.
Texas Super Kings to lock horns with LA Knight Riders in MLC 2023 opener
Texas Super Kings will face off with Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket opener at the Grand Prarie Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, July 13. The two teams with their roots in India will look to provide IPL flavor to the United States.
Besides these two teams, Mumbai Indians’ MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Washington Freedom, and Seattle Orcas are the other four teams in MLC 2023.
The first week of the tournament will be played at the aforementioned venue. The action will then shift to Chruch Street Park in Morrisville for the second week of the T20 league.
Grand Prarie Stadium will host the MLC 2023 playoffs from July 27 to 28. The tournament final will be played at the same venue on July 30.