All posts tagged: Ambati Rayudu

Should Gill and Sudharsan open in World Cup 2028? ‘I’ll be surprised’: Rayudu

Should Gill and Sudharsan open in World Cup 2028? ‘I’ll be surprised’: Rayudu

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 30, 2026 06:05 PM IST Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have put on 11 century-partnerships as openers together for the Gujarat Titans. They got their 11th in a crucial qualifier-2 game against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday. Both of them, unlike other opening partnerships in this tournament, are more orthodox and have been able to hurt the bowlers through a more conventional style of batting. Former IPL winner Ambati Rayudu predicted that Gill-Sudharsan might be the opening combination India should consider for the World Cup 2028, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand. “I think we are witnessing a pair that might travel to Australia and tackle the conditions there. The wicket was very similar in pace and bounce. And the ease with which these two are batting…I’ll be surprised if both of them don’t go there,” Rayudu said on ESPN Cricinfo. “If conditions suit them, if you take a Gill, you would like to take Sudharsan as well, because they both complement each other beautifully. You are seeing it …

Dale Steyn, Ambati Rayudu slam Akash Singh’s ‘nonsense’ note celebration

Dale Steyn, Ambati Rayudu slam Akash Singh’s ‘nonsense’ note celebration

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: May 16, 2026 09:17 AM IST In his first game of the IPL 2026 season, Lucknow Super Giants pacer Akash Singh had his reasons for bringing out the note celebration. However, the left-arm seamer’s antics have not gone down too well with a bunch of former cricketers, including Dale Steyn, Ambati Rayudu and Mitchell McClenaghan. Akash had enough reasons to rejoice on Friday night as he single-handedly dismantled the Chennai Super Kings top order, comprising Sanju Samson, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel in succession. Each time he took a wicket, Akash pulled out a little note and held it up. It was later revealed that the chit contained a motivational message. “#Akkionfire – Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game,” the note read. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, McClenaghan and Rayudu slammed the thought process behind Akash’s celebration. 🎥2️⃣ big wickets for Akash Singh 🔥 And a celebration you don’t want to miss 🗒️👌 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/v1R8RJXPe8#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #LSGvCSK | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/jY76LqHMnb — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 15, 2026 …

Former IPL winner on KL Rahul’s batting approach

Former IPL winner on KL Rahul’s batting approach

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 2, 2026 02:49 PM IST With his knock of 75 runs off 45 balls against hosts Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur on Friday night, Delhi Capitals and Indian batsman KL Rahul grabbed the purple cap taking his tally to 433 runs in nine matches this IPL. Rahul, who has scored one hundred in this IPL, scored his third fifty of this year’s IPL on Friday night and was instrumental in setting up the Delhi Capitals chase first with his opening wicket partnership of 110 runs with Pathum Nissanka and then steadying the innings during the chase. Former Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu rated Rahul’s knock highly and shared how a batsman like KL Rahul can take on any bowler at any time. “He (Rahul) has always had the game. He can take on any bowler at any time; it is just his mindset. Today we have seen a very, very good approach to his batting,” Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo. In his IPL career since 2018, the first time when he crossed 500 runs in …

Who really runs CSK now? The Dhoni–Fleming question deepens

Who really runs CSK now? The Dhoni–Fleming question deepens

Published by Webster

What once looked like stability now looks like structure under strain — and responsibility is harder to separate from influence. The IPL has never really traded in the kind of public needling that defines football management. Opposition coaches do not usually take sly digs at their peers the way Premier League managers do. Which is why Hemang Badani’s assessment of Stephen Fleming landed so sharply — and why, with Chennai Super Kings in visible decline, it now feels less like provocation than a challenge. Badani’s claim was blunt: CSK were not really being run by Fleming at all, but by MS Dhoni. Fleming, he suggested, was celebrated for a success he had not replicated elsewhere, while Dhoni remained Chennai’s true cricketing brain, its “kingpin” and “maharaja”. At the time, it was easy to dismiss that as incendiary. Now it sits more uncomfortably. Because the question around Chennai is no longer simply why they are losing. It is who this failure belongs to. For years, CSK existed in a structure where everything — tactically, emotionally, symbolically …

Ambati Rayudu slams Cricket Australia over Cam Green’s bowling restriction for KKR in IPL 2026

Ambati Rayudu slams Cricket Australia over Cam Green’s bowling restriction for KKR in IPL 2026

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 30, 2026 09:30 AM IST Kolkata Knight Riders’ inexperienced bowling attack came under the scanner at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night after they failed to defend a 220-run total against the Mumbai Indians. While the stacked MI batting group put on their highest-ever IPL chase, Ajinkya Rahane’s men were rendered a bowler short after their record Rs 25.20 crore signing, Cameron Green, was barred from bowling for a certain number of games by his home board, Cricket Australia (CA). Former India batter Ambati Rayudu slammed CA over the restrictions, questioning the logic behind the decision. Green, who became the most expensive overseas player to be signed at any IPL auction, batted at No 3 against MI, scoring 18 off 10 balls. He was an active presence on the field during the chase, but wasn’t brought on to bowl his medium pacers on a pitch where MI’s seamers were able to pull things back in the first half. ALSO READ | First time since 2012, Mumbai Indians begin IPL campaign with win …

Virat Kohli urged to come out of Test retirement after sparkling fifty in IPL 2026 opener

Virat Kohli urged to come out of Test retirement after sparkling fifty in IPL 2026 opener

Published by Webster

2 min readMar 29, 2026 03:01 PM IST Virat Kohli brushed off any concerns of rust in timing and form as he got down to business swiftly during the IPL 2026 opener for Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Returning to competitive action two months after his last ODI for India in January, Kohli steered RCB to a thumping win over SunRisers Hyderabad in the fastest 200-plus run chase in IPL history. Pursuing a 202-run target, Kohli was at his flawless best, smashing an unbeaten 69 off only 38 deliveries. The quality of his timing prompted former India batter Ambati Rayudu to urge Kohli to come out of Test retirement and continue for another “five to six” years. “I feel his best is yet to come in the IPL. What we have seen is just a trailer. Fitness was never an issue with him. I don’t think he would ever get into any trouble with his physical fitness, getting late on the ball, or slowing down on the field. “The only …

Suresh Raina, Matthew Hayden become first players in CSK Hall of Fame | Ipl News

Suresh Raina, Matthew Hayden become first players in CSK Hall of Fame | Ipl News

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2 min readMar 23, 2026 01:04 PM IST Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced the launch of their CSK Hall of Fame where the franchise will pay tribute to all those who have played a key role in the team’s glorious history. The first players to be inducted in CSK’s Hall of Fame were Suresh Raina and Matthew Hayden, with the duo’s place in the Hall of Fame formalised on Sunday at CSK’s Roar ’26 fan event at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Fondly called ‘Chinna Thala’ by CSK fans, Raina is the highest run-scoring Indian batsman for the Chennai franchise. He scored 5529 runs in 205 games for 13 seasons from 2008 to 2021 with an average of 32.52 and strike rate of 136.76. Raina was part of four IPL-winning CSK squads – in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021. He was a vital middle order batter for Chennai where his consistency held fort for his side. Besides being an able fielder, he also claimed 25 wickets and captured 108 catches for the CSK. Raina was also …

Ambati Rayudu recalls when MS Dhoni called him ‘Tin roof’ for losing his temper easily but ended up went on field angrily to argue with umpires

Ambati Rayudu recalls when MS Dhoni called him ‘Tin roof’ for losing his temper easily but ended up went on field angrily to argue with umpires

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Mar 17, 2026 05:16 PM IST It was during the 2019 Indian Premier League when the calm captain MS Dhoni lost his cool against the umpires during the game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. In a thrilling game of cricket, MS Dhoni scored 57 runs before being bowled by Ben Stokes for a yorker. The skipper had to walk back, but he returned to the field of play again when upset with a decision. The next delivery after Dhoni’s wicket was a clear waist-high no-ball to Santner, which was ruled out by umpire Ulhas Gandhe after trying to raise his arm. This prompted an angry Dhoni to enter the ground and argue animatedly with Gandhe, before leg umpire Bruce Oxenford calmed him and sent him back. Then Santner finished it off in style. MS Dhoni was later docked 50 per cent of his match fees for the offence at the time. CSK player Ambati Rayudu, recalling the incident on StarSports, revealed how Dhoni used to call him a …

‘Virat Kohli’s intention to retire is right, timing wrong’: Navjot Sidhu | Cricket News

‘Virat Kohli’s intention to retire is right, timing wrong’: Navjot Sidhu | Cricket News

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While Virat Kohli’s intention to make way for the youngsters in Test cricket may be right, the timing ahead of a highly anticipated five-match tour to England is wrong, said former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu. The Indian Express on Saturday reported that Kohli made a bombshell request to retire from Test cricket ahead of the England tour, prompting the top officials of the BCCI to urge him to reconsider his decision ahead of the series that will mark the commencement of the next ICC World Test Championship cycle. Kohli’s decision, if not amended, will be a massive blow in terms of batting experience and leadership for a transitioning Test team, especially on the back of captain Rohit Sharma’s retirement earlier this week. Story continues below this ad In a video on social media, Sidhu expressed that Kohli reconsider the timing of his decision to step down from Tests, stressing that the 36-year-old’s nous would be vital for India in England. “Virat Kohli’s decision — that he wants to retire — has created a stir …

Rishabh Pant is stubborn; should open in white ball, says Ambati Rayudu | Ipl News

Rishabh Pant is stubborn; should open in white ball, says Ambati Rayudu | Ipl News

Published by Webster

Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu has called on Rishabh Pant to not be stubborn and play as an opener in white-ball cricket as the wicketkeeper batsman continues to struggle for runs. With Lucknow Super Giants struggling to keep pace in the play-offs race, Pant’s struggles this season has come to the forefront following another disappointing outing at Dharamsala against Punjab Kings. And Rayudu has said that one of the reasons behind his “very, very bad patch” could be down to Pant’s stubbornness. In 10 innings so far, Pant has made only 128 runs which includes one fifty and five single-digit scores. The costliest player in the IPL at Rs 27 crore, this has been Pant’s poorest outing ever and Rayudu said time has come for the LSG captain to change his approach. “I think, at this point in time, I’m feeling very sorry for him because he’s not been changing his batting order or his approach,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out. “I think he’s being pretty stubborn about how he wants to go about …