Robin Uthappa ditches CSK, reveals the team he would like to see win IPL 2024

Former India batsman Robin Uthappa has said he would like his former team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The former cricketer plied his trade for several teams in the IPL but enjoyed a very productive stint with the Kolkata-based outfit.

He began his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in 2008 before moving to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009. In 2011, he joined the now-defunct Pune Warriors India and played three seasons for them.

In 2014, he was signed up by KKR and enjoyed a stunning maiden season with the team. He finished the season as the highest run-scorer, scoring 660 runs with the help of five half-centuries as KKR went on to win the IPL for the first time. In 2020, Robin Uthappa joined Rajasthan Royals before playing for Chennai Super Kings in 2021 and 2022. He retired from all forms of the game in 2022.

Ahead of IPL 2024, he expressed his admiration for KKR and said that he would want them to win the IPL again. Uthappa said that while it’s been a long since he last donned the KKR jersey as a player, he is still in love with the team.

“It’s been long since I left KKR but my love for the team is still there. I obviously want them to win the IPL again,” Robin Uthappa told Bengali news outlet Anandabazar Patrika.

Incidentally, KKR have not won the IPL since Robin Uthappa starred with the bat in 2014. In 2021, KKR made it to the final but ended up on the losing side against Chennai Super Kings. The former batter was playing for the Chennai-based outfit in that game and played a crucial knock of 31 runs.

For IPL 2024, KKR have a strong team and is one of the favorites to win the competition. They have the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Mitchell Starc in their ranks and will be fancying their chances.

Robin Uthappa’s IPL career in numbers:

Robin Uthappa played in the IPL from 2008 to 2022. In his long IPL career, he played a total of 205 games and scored 4952 runs at an average of 27.51 and a strike rate of 130. The former cricketer scored 27 half-centuries in the competition.