Swashbuckling batsman Robin Uthappa retired from all forms of international and Indian cricket – domestic and IPL – on Wednesday, bringing down curtains on a professional career in India that had started in 2002.
This decision of 36-year-old Uthappa, who last played for India in 2015, to retire from Indian cricket will allow him to take part in the franchise leagues around the world.
“It has been my greatest honour to represent my country and my state, Karnataka. However, all good things must come to an end, and with a grateful heart, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. Thank you all,” Uthappa tweeted with a two-page heartfelt note and a picture of him from the bowl-out against Pakistan at the 2007 T20 World Cup.
It has been my greatest honour to represent my country and my state, Karnataka. However, all good things must come to an end, and with a grateful heart, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket.
Thank you all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GvWrIx2NRs
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) September 14, 2022
Featuring in all the 15 seasons of the IPL, Uthappa won the IPL twice: with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and the Chennai Super Kings in 2021. He donned the jerseys of 6 different IPL teams – RCB, MI, PWI, KKR, RR and CSK, amassing a total of 4952 runs in 205 IPL games, striking at 130.35 and averaging 27.51.
Here are Robin Uthappa’s top three knocks in the IPL:
83* (51) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2014
In his dream form in the 2014 season, Uthappa, the dashing KKR opener, came strutting out and took on the RCB bowler from the get-go at the Eden Gardens.
While KKR lost three big wickets – Gambhir, Pandey and Yusuf – inside 7 overs, Uthappa tore into the RCB bowlers unfazed, smashing an unbeaten 83 runs off 51 balls and sharing a 121 (71) stand with Shakib. Uthappa’s unbeaten innings, which included 10 fours and a six, helped KKR post a big total of 195, which RCB fell 30 runs short of.
Uthappa finished as the Orange Cap winner that season, making a significant contribution to KKR’s second IPL title win.
31(15) vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2021 final
While this innings doesn’t have a big volume of runs and isn’t much talked about – but it surely had a big impact on the night of the IPL 2021 final – that too against his former team, KKR.
Batting first, CSK had gotten off to a steady start from Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis before the former was dismissed in the 9th over with 61 runs on the board. CSK needed an impetus now as they wanted to put an above-par total given how favourable chasing is in Dubai. Out came Robin Uthappa, older in age but richer in experience and a calmer figure.
He wasted no time and straightaway attacked Shakib for a maximum; he gave the same treatment to Chakravarthy and Narine before being dismissed for 31 runs off 15 balls, turning the momentum in CSK’s favour, who then went on to post a match-winning total of 192.
87(47) vs Rising Pune Supergiant, 2017
This is Uthappa’s second-highest score in the IPL, and one which perhaps he needed it given the question and doubts he was facing while on a decline after being demoted to number 3 as KKR moved Narine up as an opener.
In the opposition’s home ground, in Pune, Uthappa turned back the clock whacking 87 runs off 47 balls to make the chase of 183 comfortable, with Gambhir, the skipper, at the other end for his entire innings. Uthappa was in a brutal mood as he walloped 6 sixes and 7 fours in his dominating knock.
