IPL 2019: Sam Billings overjoyed after being retained by CSK
The cricketer was extremely happy when he got to know that CSK had made the decision to retain him for the next season.
He was considered a winner after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought him in last year’s auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for INR 1 crore. Sam Billings though did not play extraordinarily well in the 2018 season, scoring just 108 runs in 10 matches with just one fifty, but CSK have clearly chosen to invest more time in the talented English wicketkeeper-batsman and retained him for the next edition starting in March.
Billings made his debut in the IPL in 2016 for Delhi Daredevils and played two seasons for them. The 27-year-old right-hand batsman has played 21 matches in the tournament, scoring 334 runs at a strike rate of 135.77. Last season, his match-winning 56 off 23 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders was a special knock which had impressed among others, former Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth who said the CSK might have “unearthed a champion” in Billings.
Billings expresses his excitement on Instagram
The cricketer was extremely happy when he got to know that CSK had made the decision to retain him for the next season, a decision which was learnt on Wednesday. The England international took to his Instagram page where he posted a picture of CSK players, including him, celebrating the fall of an opponent wicket.
He captioned it saying he couldn’t wait to wear the yellow attire of the CSK again in the next edition. The CSK also retained David Willey, another Englishman, along with Billings while they released Mark Wood, a fast bowler from England.
CSK reclaimed the title after seven years and after returning from a two-year suspension in 2016 and 2017 editions. Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front to help the team, the most consistent in the tournament, to win their third title and match the feat of Mumbai Indians captained by Rohit Sharma. Even though there were changes in the CSK side this time, but many of their old players remained and played a key role in the side’s title victory.
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