IPL 2023 turned out to be a memorable season for the former player Ambati Rayudu as he won he ended his career on a high with a memorable win by Chennai Super Kings. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings won their 5th IPL trophy. Over the years, Rayudu has played an instrumental role in CSK’s success in the IPL.
After Chennai Super Kings won their 5th IPL trophy, MS Dhoni won millions of hearts with his beautiful gesture as he invited Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja to lift the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
While Ravindra Jadeja had smashed the winning runs to help CSK lift the trophy again and played an instrumental role in CSK’s success throughout the season. On the other hand, Ambati Rayudu, who has been an integral part of the team, announced his retirement from the IPL moments before the final match. Rayudu played an important cameo scoring 19 off 8 balls during the crucial game. Therefore, Dhoni’s heart-touching gesture for both the CSK stars left the fans in awe of the CSK captain.
Ambati Rayudu On MS Dhoni’s Grand Trophy Gesture
In an interview with Behindwoods TV, Ambati Rayudu was asked about the grand trophy gesture of Dhoni and Jadeja as the trio lifted the IPL 2023 trophy together. Rayudu, who is hailed as the ‘team man’ came up with a beautiful response. He said:
“It was sudden. He wanted to share the feeling of happiness with us. It was special for me as well as I have played with him for so long. Lifting the trophy with CSK was really special”
He added:
“Winning the trophy itself was huge and this (stage) was the icing on the cake. The way we beat Gujarat Titans who have been playing so well for the past two years, I would say it was a theft. We stole the trophy from them (laughs)”
Further, Rayudu revealed that he knew that the IPL 2023 would be his last season and thus he wanted to sign off his career with a win and it turned out to be the most memorable thing for him. He said:
“I had decided it was my last IPL and I wanted to finish with a win. For me it was double emotional. It is a great challenge to win the IPL over a period of two months. When you do all that and you know that it is your last IPL, and then you reach the final and have a chance to win and win, I couldn’t control my emotions”
During his glorious career in the Indian Premier League, Ambati Rayudu won 6 IPL titles – 3 with CSK and 3 with Mumbai Indians. Rayudu scored 1932 runs for CSK in 90 matches including one hundred and 8 fifties. He averaged 29.72 and had a strike rate of 129.32 for the franchise.
