Ambati Rayudu has cut his CPL stint with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots short and left the tournament due to personal reasons.
Rayudu played three innings for Patriots in the ongoing edition, managing 47 runs at 15.66 and a strike rate of 117.50. His scores in the three innings were 0, 32 and 15. The batter, however, later took to social media to state that he had committed to play in the CPL only till August 28 and that he had finished his agreement with the franchise.*
"I have agreed to play in the cpl only till the 28 th of August as I have had prior commitments.. so as stated in the media I have not pulled out but finished my agreement.. thank you," Rayudu wrote on his social media handle.
I have agreed to play in the cpl only till the 28 th of August as I have had prior commitments.. so as stated in the media I have not pulled out but finished my agreement.. thank you @CPL and @sknpatriots
— ATR (@RayuduAmbati) September 1, 2023
Rayudu was signed up as a marquee player by Patriots, making him just the second Indian to play in the men's CPL after Pravin Tambe. He had earlier in 2023 retired from international and Indian domestic cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings claim a fifth IPL title.
Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has also left the tournament for personal reasons. Muzarabani played three games for Patriots and picked up one wicket at 69 with an economy of 10.61. The English duo of fast bowler Benny Howell and top order batter Will Smeed have been called up to replace Rayudu and Muzarabani in the Patriots squad.
Patriots are the only team in the competition without a single win in six matches. Since their opening two fixtures got abandoned due to rain, they have lost each of their following four games.
Brathwaite named temporary replacement for Ferreira
Meanwhile, Carlos Brathwaite has been called up by Barbados Royals as a temporary replacement for wicketkeeper-batter Donovan Ferreira. Ferreira has been included in South Africa's 16-member squad for their home T20I series against Australia. He is expected to return after his national duties are over.
Ferreira played only one game for Royals in CPL 2023, in which he scored 19 runs. Brathwaite has played 77 CPL matches for four teams and this will be his first stint with Royals. He has scored 822 runs at 16.11 and picked up 59 wickets at 30.15. This is the first time he will be part of the CPL since the 2021 edition.
The story was updated after Ambati Rayudu's statement on his social media handles.