With IPL 2025 underway, this season the broadcasters have included a few new commentators and experts on the panel. Ambati Rayudu and Shikhar Dhawan are two of the newcomers. The last time Rayudu played was in the IPL 2023 final, which CSK won over GT. Dhawan participated in his final IPL game last season.
Both players have represented India as teammates at the senior and junior levels. Most notably, Rayudu served as the captain of India's team during the 2004 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. While commentating with Rayudu and Aakash Chopra, Dhawan shared a humorous story about Rayudu that had everyone in splits.
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Rayudu was not present when India lost to Pakistan in the semifinals. After violating the ICC Code of Conduct in a previous match, he was given a one-match ban and was suspended for the game. He was reported for excessive time-wasting, a misdemeanor.
Speaking on Star Sports, Dhawan revealed, “Ambati Rayudu ka bahut bada naam tha U19 mein. Humare captain the U19 World Cup mein aur wahan pe bhi ban ho gaye the, humara semi-final mar gaya (Ambati Rayudu was a big name in U19 cricket. He was our captain in the U19 World Cup, and he got banned there also ahead of the semi-final, and we lost).”
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Chopra burst out laughing in response to Dhawan's statement, and Rayudu, who had initially been irritated, eventually joined in. Another way to see Dhawan's joke is as a reminder of Rayudu's notorious 2007 BCCI ban for playing in the renegade ICL. The BCCI disapproved of the league, and all officials and players were warned not to compete in the competition.
Rayudu was suspended by the BCCI while playing for the Hyderabad Heroes in 2007 and 2008. He was one of the 79 ICL players who received amnesty from the BCCI in 2009, and he resumed playing in the Ranji Trophy.
Rayudu gained global attention throughout his playing career, particularly after being famously left out of India's 2019 World Cup squad. The Iceland Cricket Board even joked that they would offer him a spot in their team. When he was cut from the World Cup squad in 2019, he also made fun of the selectors for choosing Vijay Shankar.
In 2019, Rayudu announced his retirement from all international cricket. In 2023, he announced his retirement from the IPL. He later played for the Texas Super Kings during the first Major League Cricket season after retiring from the IPL.
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