IPL 2021: Robin Uthappa Traded to Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals

Robin Uthappa will play for Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after he was traded out by Rajasthan Royals in an all-cash deal on Thursday (January 21). The 35-year-old has previously turned out for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders and he was then signed by the Royals last year for Rs 3 crore in the player auction. However, after a disappointing campaign he has been traded to CSK.

"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 according to a Rajasthan Royals media release.

Uthappa's signature comes at a time when CSK released both Kedar Jadhav and Murali Vijay, meaning Uthappa could feasibly slot into the opener or middle-order wherever necessary.

IPL 2021 Players Retention: Chennai Super Kings, Suresh Raina Retained, Harbhajan Singh Released

"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."

CSK, the second most successful franchise in the history of the IPL, had released six players from their squad ahead of the auction in February. They have retained all the overseas players with the exception of Shane Watson who retired from all forms of cricket last season.

IPL 2021 Players Retention: Full List of Retained & Released Players for all Teams

Harbhajan Singh, the fifth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history, has been released by the franchise. Harbhajan picked 150 wickets in 157 IPL innings at an excellent economy rate of 7.05.

Suresh Raina, who missed the 2020 edition has been retained by CSK. Raina is one of the most successful batsmen in the history of the tournament and has an aggregate of 5368 runs in 189 batting innings which makes him the second-highest scorer in the league's history after Virat Kohli.

Released players: Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson, Monu Singh, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay.

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