Former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has retired from all forms of professional cricket, citing family reasons - largely he arrival of his first child - for his decision to end his playing career.

Having cut his ties with Queensland two years ago, the hard-hitting right-hander spent the final stages of his career contracted to Surrey in the Twenty20 Cup and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

The 36-year-old's decision to quit the game entirely means that he won't finish his deal with the Mumbai franchise across the 2012 edition of the IPL.

Symonds last played for Australia three years ago, when his battle with alcohol abuse saw him sent home from the World Twenty20 tournament in England.

The incident was not his first disciplinary contravention - 2006 saw him involved in a skirmish with a Super14 rugby player and 2008 brought allegations of racism after he reportedly called Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh a "monkey".

Later that year he decided to go fishing instead of attending a team meeting and in 2009 he was heavily fined for labeling New Zealand star Brendon McCullum a "lump of s***" during a radio interview.

"Effective immediately, I am retiring from all forms of professional cricket," Symonds announced on Thursday.

"It is with regret that I will not be able to fulfill my final year of the IPL with the Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians and the IPL have both been very supportive of me, but the impending arrival of my first child is a priority."

Bought for $850,000 at last year's player auction, the middle-order batsman endured an an indifferent time with Mumbai, failing to score a half-century in either the IPL or the Champions League T20 in 2011.