Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Ambati Rayudu has formally announced his decision to enter politics, nearly a month after retiring from the game of cricket.
Rayudu’s career came to a close after the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which saw CSK beat the Gujarat Titans to win a fifth title, putting them with the same number of titles as Mumbai Indians (MI).
Rayudu had sparked rumours of a political career when, days after his retirement, he posted a picture of himself along with Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.
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And while he is yet to mention which party he will be joining, it appears likely that he will be linking up with the YSR Congress.
He has also tweeted out in support of Jagan in the recent past, stating that the people of the state have full faith in their chief minister.
But before he makes his decision on which party he joins – or indeed, whether he will contest general or assembly elections – he has embarked on a tour of the Guntur region.
“I shall soon enter politics in Andhra Pradesh to serve the people. Before that, I have decided to visit different parts of the district to know the people’s pulse and understand their problems,” Rayudu said to reporters in Vatticherukuru, Andhra Pradesh.
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He further added that he wanted to tour the rural areas of Guntur to understand what it is the people of the region need – while also trying to formulate a plan of action as to how it is he can fulfill those needs.
During his tour, he even interacted with young school children and also shared lunch with them while discussing the issues they faced on a daily basis.
He will continue to tour the area, and revealed that he will choose his party once he is done touring the entire region of Guntur.
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It is worth noting that Rayudu won’t be the only cricketer to have made the jump to politics after the end of his cricketing career.
The likes of Kirti Azad, Mohammad Azharuddin, Gautam Gambir and even Manoj Tiwary have successfully transitioned into a political career in the recent past. And these are just a few examples.
But Rayudu’s career is not over as of now; he will be taking part in the soon-to-be launched Major League Cricket (MLC) T20 franchise league in the United States of America (USA).
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