Veteran Indian batsman Robin Uthappa has been traded from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2021 auction for an all-cash deal.
The 35-year-old was roped in by Rajasthan Royals in the previous auction for INR 3 crore. He previously played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders, and has a tournament experience of 189 matches, scoring 4607 runs at a strike rate of 129.9 with 24 half-centuries. He has also been the winner of the Orange Cap in 2014 season when KKR had won their second title.
"I really enjoyed my year at the Royals and had a great time being part of this franchise. I am now excited for the next part of my cricketing journey joining CSK for IPL 2021," Uthappa was quoted as saying in a Rajasthan Royals media release
However, Uthappa's performance has struggled in the previous two seasons where he scored 282 runs at 115.1 SR in 2019 before being released by KKR, and for the Royals, he managed 196 runs at 119.51 SR from 12 games.
With CSK losing two opening options in Shane Watson and Murali Vijay, they have roped in Uthappa as a back-up option adding to the likes of Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Ambati Rayudu.
"We'd like to thank Robbie for his contribution during his time with us," Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum said. "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."
