Stephen Fleming’s statement on Rayudu’s deleted Tweet gives air to rumors about a rift in the Chennai camp

Chennai’s Head Coach has spoken up about the confusion over the deleted Tweet from Ambati Rayudu. Notably, Rayudu Tweeted that the ongoing Indian T20 League season would be his last and thanked Mumbai and Chennai for making him a part of the team for the past 13 years just ahead of the match against Gujarat. The Tweet confused the fans of the Chennai team and gave rise to a storm that was later cleared by the CEO of the team, Kashi Viswanathan. He explained that Rayudu is not retiring and would continue playing for the franchise.

The tweet from the player was also deleted subsequently. Rayudu was picked up by Chennai in the mega auction ahead of the Indian T20 League 2022. He has had a decent season with the bat for the team. In the 12 matches that he has played, Rayudu has scored 271 runs at an average of 27.10 and a strike rate of 124.31.

In a recent press conference, the Head Coach of the Chennai team, Stephen Fleming addressed the ongoing situation in the camp. He stated that it was like a storm in the teacup rather than a disappointment. He further added that Rayudu is alright at present and the controversies around him won’t be affecting the team. Rayudu was left out of the team in Chennai’s last match against Gujarat, which the side lost by seven wickets.

“It was not disappointing, it was probably a little bit of a storm in a teacup, to be honest. But I think he was fine. It has not changed anything in the camp but it is a non-story,”- Fleming said during a press conference, replying to a question by NDTV.

Speaking of the team’s performance, Chennai is already out of the tournament. They have lost nine of their 13 matches and are currently at the second last position in the points table.