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An emotional Ambati Rayudu described Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 triumph as a fairytale finish to his career in the league, adding that he could not have asked for anything more.
Rayudu had announced his IPL retirement ahead of the final against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. On Monday, May 29, he contributed a handy 19 off eight balls as CSK chased down a revised target of 171 in 15 overs to register a famous five-wicket triumph.
The 37-year-old was teary-eyed as cameras captured his emotions following CSK’s thrilling win.
Speaking after Chennai’s memorable triumph, Rayudu opened up on his feelings and said:
"It's a fairytale finish. I couldn't have asked for more. I'm fortunate to have played in really great sides. I can smile for the rest of my life. All the hard work I've done in the last 30 years, I'm happy I got to finish on this note.
"I would really like to thank my family, my father. Without them this wouldn't have been possible."
Rayudu came in at a critical juncture in CSK’s chase during the IPL 2023 final against GT. With Chennai needing 38 off the last three overs, the right-handed batter clobbered Mohit Sharma for two sixes and a four before being dismissed.
CSK, however, got home off the last ball as Ravindra Jadeja (15* off six) slammed Mohit for six and four off the last two deliveries.
“I thought he will do something special tonight” - MS Dhoni pays tribute to Rayudu
At the post-match presentation ceremony, Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni paid tribute to Rayudu, describing the seasoned batter as someone who always wants to contribute and also a person who is similar to him in nature.
Dhoni said:
"A special thing about Rayudu is, with him on the team I will never win the fair play award. He jumps in celebration or something like that pretty early. He always wants to contribute. We played India A together. We are a part of the team together. He is someone who plays the spin and pace well. I thought he will do something special tonight and didn't he?
“He is also like me, who doesn't use the phone a too lot. I hope he will enjoy the next phase of this life.”
Rayudu finished his IPL career with 4348 runs in 204 matches at an average of 28.23 and a strike rate of 127.54, with one hundred and 22 fifties.
