Reports: Wriddhiman Saha bids farewell to all forms of cricket, May skip IPL next year

In a major turn of events, Indian wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha announced his retirement from all forms of cricket through a social media post on Twitter. This shocking development was made public on Sunday, Saha, aged 40, is currently representing his side Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. The veteran wicket-keeper hints to his fans that this will be the last domestic season of his career.

Saha predominately lived under the shadows of the star wicket-keeper MS Dhoni but still went on to make sporadic international appearances for India in 40 Tests and nine ODIs. He made these limited opportunities count and played some noteworthy knocks for his side across formats. After MS Dhoni, Saha was considered India's go-to option for a wicket-keeper-batter in red-ball cricket for quite some  

In his overall Test career, the Bengal wicket-keeper batter amassed 1353 runs which included three centuries making him the second player after MS Dhoni and Rishab Pant to hold the most number of Test centuries as a wicket-keeper batter. 

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Saha’s emotional tweet on X

On Sunday, Saha took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) to announce that he will no longer feature for his first-class side in domestic cricket. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for being associated with the game for this long and extended his vote of thanks to everyone who was involved in nurturing him during his cricketing career.

After a cherished journey in cricket, this season will be my last. I’m honored to represent Bengal one final time, playing only in the Ranji Trophy before I retire. Let’s make this season one to remember! pic.twitter.com/sGElgZuqfP

— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) November 3, 2024

Speculations are also rife that Saha may not feature in the upcoming IPL season. As per reports, the 40-year-old has not enrolled himself for the meg auction which is expected to be held later this month. Although a public announcement is yet to be made regarding his participation in the IPL, experts suggest that an announcement may come soon just before the auction kicks off. 

Saha has not been retained by his franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) this year and hence there is a high possibility that we may not see him in action anymore in the IPL. In addition to representing GT for three years, Saha has also represented five more franchises in his IPL career which include Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)