Robin Uthappa bids adieu to all forms of Indian cricket after two decades

Indian cricketing veteran Robin Uthappa has decided to call it a day in the Indian domestic scenario after retiring from all forms of cricket in the country via a Twitter announcement on Wednesday. The 36-year-old made his First-class debut in the 2002/03 season and has emerged as a permanent presence in the cricketing fraternity over the past two decades. His first-class career for Karnataka brought him great success as did his stints with the men in Blue.

Uthappa made his national debut in 2006 in an ODI against England, before playing 45 more matches in the format scoring 934 runs. He also played 13 T20Is and was a part of the squad that famously lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni in 2007. His first-class numbers make an impressive reading with a run-tally of 9,446 in 142 matches averaging over 40.

However, Uthappa managed most of his success in the Indian Premier League, retiring as its eighth highest run-getter. His blistering season for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 saw him win the orange cap and lead the franchise to an unexpected title win. He has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings as well, playing the 2022 season for the Yellow Army. At the end of the day, he scored 7,272 runs in nearly 300 appearances striking over 130.

Uthappa is now likely to explore opportunities in cricketing leagues around the world now that he is no longer affected by the BCCI's restriction on allowing domestic players in foreign leagues.