“Storm In A Teacup”: CSK Coach Stephen Fleming On Ambati Rayudu’s Deleted “My Last IPL” Tweet

Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu caused quite a stir on Saturday as he first tweeted that the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season would be his last in the tournament. However, an hour later, the tweet was deleted and it was CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan who clarified that Rayudu would not be retiring and will remain with the franchise. A day later, CSK coach Stephen Fleming talked about the issue during a press conference held after the match between CSK and Gujarat Titans, which the former lost by seven wickets.

Rayudu was not a part of the CSK playing XI for the game against Gujarat Titans on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

“It was not disappointing, it was probably a little bit of a storm in a teacup, to be honest. But, I think he was fine. It has not changed anything in the camp but it is a non-story,” Fleming said while replying to a NDTV question during a virtual post-match press conference.

On Saturday, Rayudu had tweeted about his retirement at 12:46pm but the tweet was deleted almost an hour later. It created a confusion among fans whether the ongoing edition was truly the “last IPL” for Rayudu, as claimed by the 36-year-old in his now-deleted Tweet.

However, clarifying the issue, the CSK CEO told NDTV: “He was a bit disappointed that he was not doing well. So, he mistakenly put out that tweet. I have explained things to him. He is not retiring. He will be with us.”

Rayudu was picked up by CSK in the IPL 2022 mega auction for Rs 6.75 crore. In 12 matches this season, Rayudu has scored 271 runs at an average of 27.10.

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Talking about the game between CSK and SRH, the former batted first and posted 133/5 in 20 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored for CSK with a knock of 53 while Mohammed Shami returned with two wickets for Gujarat Titans.

Wriddhiman Saha then played an unbeaten knock of 67 runs as Gujarat Titans chased down the total with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare. With this win, GT further consolidated their top spot while CSK remain at the ninth position.