Robin Uthappa joins Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals

Uthappa only joined Rajasthan in 2020, having previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders. He has also represented Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India

Former India batsman Robin Uthappa has left Rajasthan Royals to join Chennai Super Kings in a cash deal.

The trade for the 35-year-old comes a day after all eight Indian Premier League franchises announced their player retention lists, with Rajasthan releasing former captain Steve Smith and Chennai – on the back of a dismal 2020 campaign – letting go of several experienced players.

Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Monu Singh, Piyush Chawla and Murali Vijay were all released by Stephen Fleming’s side, with former Australia allrounder Shane Watson also retiring.

Uthappa only joined Rajasthan in 2020, having previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders. He has also represented Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India.

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But he scored just 196 runs in 12 games for his fifth IPL team, struggling for consistency and adding to the pressure on Smith, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes.

“We'd like to thank Robbie for his contribution during his time with us,” said Royals chief executive Jake Lush McCrum. “He provided significant value building into the season in our camps in Guwahati and Nagpur, and his speech during our World Cup winners session during the season was one of the most powerful we have heard.

“We do have depth with regards to openers in our squad, therefore when the offer came from CSK, we thought it was a good opportunity for all parties involved. We'd like to wish Robbie all the best for this season at CSK and his future beyond that.”