Rajat Bhatia who represented Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand in domestic cricket has announced his retirement. A career spanning two decades, Bhatia made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 1999-2000 season. He represented Tamil Nadu back in 1999-2000 season, moved to his home team Delhi two years later and played for them till 2015 before moving to Uttarakhand.
The all-rounder had a storied domestic career as he played a total of 121 matches. Bhatia amassed 6482 runs at an outstanding average of 49.10 with 17 hundred to his name. Bhatia was handy with the ball too as he picked 137 wickets at an average of 27.97 in first-class cricket.
Rajat Bhatia announces retirement
Meanwhile, he played an integral role in Delhi’s triumph during 2007 Ranji Trophy season. The middle-order batsman scored 512 runs in 2007 Ranji Trophy when Delhi won the title for the last time.
Rajat Bhatia also represented Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The medium-pacer was known for his variations that trouble several prominent batsmen during his career. In his IPL career, he appeared in 95 matches during a total of 11 seasons.
He was a crucial part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 season when they clinched their first IPL title. Bhatia was a regular in the Gautam Gambhir led the side and picked 13 wickets in the season.
The 40-year-old was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a hefty 1.7 crores ahead of IPL 2014. He picked up 12 wickets in that season. Bhatia last played for Rising Pune Supergiants with his last appearance being during IPL 2017. In the 95 games, Bhatia picked up 71 wickets and chipped in with 342 runs.