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Ambati Rayudu pulls out of MLC after BCCI mulls ‘cooling-off’ period for ex-India cricketers
In a statement, TSK said, “Ambati Rayudu will not be available to participate in the first season of the MLC with Texas Super Kings due to personal reasons.”
Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu has withdrawn from the American T20 league, Major League Cricket, following the BCCI’s consideration of a ‘cooling-off period’ for recently retired Indian cricketers. Rayudu's withdrawal comes only 5 days before the MLC is scheduled to begin.
Rayudu announced his retirement from international and IPL cricket ahead of the IPL final this year. He played his last game for Chennai Super Kings against the Gujarat Titans, and his crucial cameo helped them clinch a last-ball win in the final. Rayudu retired from the IPL with 6 titles, the joint-most for any player alongside Rohit Sharma.
Rayudu hoped to kick off his retirement by participating in the inaugural MLC season for the Texas Super Kings, a team owned by CSK. However, he has had to retract his decision after BCCI's Apex Council meeting where they decided to formulate a policy for its players (including retired players) with respect to their participation in overseas T20 leagues.
In a statement, TSK said, “Ambati Rayudu will not be available to participate in the first season of the MLC with Texas Super Kings due to personal reasons.”
The BCCI is looking to prevent “pre-determined retirements”, as per secretary Jay Shah. “We will be coming out with a policy to prevent the trend of pre-determined retirements. Once the policy is decided in a month or so, we will send it back to the Apex Council for approval,” he told reporters following the decision.
While contracted Indian players aren’t allowed to play in overseas leagues, the same didn’t apply to retired cricketers. In recent months, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan played in the ILT20, while there were commitments from a host of former Indian cricketers to play in the Zim Afro T10 league in Zimbabwe.
The reason for the cooling-off period is reportedly to prevent talent from being attracted to other leagues, and forcing early retirement in order to do so. In the past, the BCCI has come under fire for their stringent policy on overseas leagues doing more harm than good for domestic players.
Rayudu was the only former Indian cricketer contracted to an MLC team. However, 4 of the 6 teams have IPL investors, with the Texas Super Kings, MI New York, and LA Knight Riders in direct affiliation with their counterparts, and the Seattle Orcas co-owned by GMR, owners of the Delhi Capitals.
