'Really grateful, looking forward to contributing to the team' - Robin Uthappa ecstatic after being bought back by CSK

The Chennai Super Kings seem to have made some tricky buys on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 mega auction so far having bought back the likes of veteran batter Robin Uthappa, star Caribbean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and India’s bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar. The defending champions had retained skipper MS Dhoni, last season’s Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad, the all-rounder duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali before the mega auctions.

Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa has expressed his gratitude to CSK for buying him back at the two-day event in Bengaluru. The Karnataka cricketer was roped in by the four-time winners at his original base price of INR 2 crore. After being released by Rajasthan Royals in last year’s mini-auctions, the Yellow Army showed faith in him and he obliged by making it matter during the playoffs.

I’m very grateful to be back in the CSK setup: Robin Uthappa

“Hi. I’m very grateful to be back in the CSK setup, Very grateful to the support staff and franchise for having faith in me, and especially after last year after winning I was really keen about coming back to CSK and I should be grateful to God and the support staff for having that faith in me and picking me up in the side again”, said Robin Uthappa as quoted by Star Sports.

“I am really looking forward to contributing to the team in a meaningful manner. The auction seemed very exciting. A lot of wonderful players getting nice prices going to different teams. The two new teams are adding a whole other dynamic in this IPL. So, a lot of fun to watch”, he added.

CSK would be banking on the veteran cricketer’s experience this time around as they look forward to rebuilding their team to successfully defend their title. Robin Uthappa was arguably Chennai’s savior in the knockout phase during the 2021 season having scored 63 in Qualifier 1 against the Delhi Capitals. He scored 115 runs in four matches in 2021 and was instrumental in the MS Dhoni-led side’s fourth title triumph. The Karnataka batter has so far amassed 4722 runs averaging 27.94 and a strike rate of 130.15 in 193 IPL appearances.

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