Former IPL winner Rajat Bhatia announces retirement from all forms of the game

Indian domestic cricket stalwart Rajat Bhatia has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. The medium-pace bowler, who played for four IPL franchises in his career and lifted the title with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, had earned much appreciation for his bowling performances.

As reported by Hindustan Times, Rajat Bhatia has decided to call it a day on his professional playing career after playing 112 first-class games, 119 List-A matches, and 146 T20s. The all-rounder scored over 6,000 runs in first-class cricket, but in the IPL, he was majorly known for his slow pace.

Rajat Bhatia's journey in the IPL

The story is that Rajat Bhatia actually delivered his letter of retirement from cricket in March, but it reached just today. Jokes aside, a smart, gutsy cricketer who you always wanted on your side. An integral part of that 2012 KKR championship team. He will be missed pic.twitter.com/QQGrSmPtXC

— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) July 29, 2020

Rajat Bhatia began his IPL career with his home franchise Delhi Daredevils in 2008. He became a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders after the mega auction in 2011, and the following year, his 13 wickets in 17 matches played a crucial role in his team's triumph.

In 2014, Rajasthan Royals spent a whopping 1.7 crores to sign Rajat Bhatia, and the all-rounder delivered the goods for them by picking up 12 wickets in 12 games at an economy rate of 7.44. The veteran all-rounder played his last IPL season for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017, where he could scalp two wickets in three matches.

The USP of Rajat Bhatia was his slow pace. The spin-friendly pitch at the Eden Gardens was tailormade for his bowling style. Many big-hitting batsmen often found it extremely difficult to play a big shot off Rajat Bhatia's bowling in the IPL.

Rajat Bhatia announces his retirement. As described by @bhogleharsha he had three variations in his bowling - slow, slower, and slowest.He took 71 wickets in 95 IPL matches. His bowling was well-suited to T20 format as he hardly gave pace to the batsmen. #Cricket

— Gautam Chauhan🏏 (@Gautamchauhan2) July 29, 2020

In the domestic circuit, Rajat Bhatia had won the Ranji Trophy as a part of the Delhi team in 2008. He joined Uttarakhand in 2018 and played his last first-class match against Mizoram last year. It will be intriguing to see what's next for the former IPL winner.