Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu’s resignation from the Indian Premier League (IPL) has fueled conjecture about his political ambitions. Rayudu is rumoured to be joining the Congress party and running for a Lok Sabha seat in Telangana. Former Indian captain and Telangana Congress working president Mohammad Azharuddin is alleged to be in contact with Rayudu about joining the party. Rayudu, on the other hand, has not yet decided which party he would join.
Rayudu met with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy last month, sparking rumours that he would join the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). Rayudu thanked Jagan Mohan Reddy in a tweet, expressing his faith and confidence in the Chief Minister. On May 28, the 37-year-old cricketer announced his retirement from the IPL after playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Congress sources say Azharuddin has been charged with meeting with Rayudu and inviting him to join the party. Rayudu is apparently being offered a ticket to contest from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, which has a considerable percentage of Andhra Pradesh voters located in Hyderabad. A. Revanth Reddy, the head of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), now represents the constituency. While Revanth Reddy plans to run in the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Congress leadership is considering running Rayudu from Malkajgiri in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Congress leaders believe Rayudu, who hails from the Andhra Pradesh district of Guntur, can win the support of settlers in Malkajgiri. Rayudu’s constituency also contains a substantial number of voters from the Kapu group.
Rayudu declared his intention to run for office in April of this year, claiming his desire to serve the people. He declined to say which party he would join, stating that he had gotten feelers from several parties but was determined to make a difference in people’s lives. Rayudu acknowledged his love for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where he has spent a considerable chunk of his life, but he chose to focus on serving the people of Andhra Pradesh.
Rayudu has played 55 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and six Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for India, amassing 1,694 runs with three centuries and ten fifties. He has also appeared in 190 IPL matches for the CSK and Mumbai Indians. Rayudu has a reputation for being a rebel due to early-career disagreements with teammates and management, which harmed his international opportunities, including the ODI World Cup.
Rayudu, who was inspired by his father, demonstrated his skill early on by scoring a double century and a century in the same Ranji Trophy match for Andhra, becoming the youngest player to do so. He also led India’s under-19 squad to victory in the 2004 ICC World Cup. Rayudu will join Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Kirti Azad, Azharuddin, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Chetan Chauhan, and Gautam Gambhir as Indian cricketers who have entered politics.
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