E-Paper
Sign in
Ashwin ends IPL innings, to play on in T20 leagues abroad
The off-spinning all-rounder is set to become India’s first A list player to explore playing multiple T20 leagues overseas
Mumbai: R Ashwin called it a day from the Indian Premier League, nine months after retiring from international cricket, to end his distinguished career. In a Wednesday morning post on his social media handle, Ashwin, also took guard for “a new beginning”.
“They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today,” he said on X. The former India spinner’s desire to become a T20 globetrotter carries significant weight. Ashwin is not just another cricketer at the autumn of his career, freeing himself up to play foreign leagues to conform with BCCI regulations that bar India’s active players from playing in leagues other than IPL.
The off-spinning all-rounder is a high achiever – India’s second highest Test wicket-taker with six Test hundreds and World Cup winner. In IPL, he began as an understudy to Muttiah Muralitharan for Chennai Super Kings and soon became their trump card with the new ball. He would flummox batters in flight and combine with MS Dhoni, who effected razor sharp stumpings. Even though his homecoming to CSK in 2025 didn’t prove to be productive, he had won titles wearing yellow in 2010 and 2011.
Ashwin’s presence will be a shot in the arm for any of the leading short format leagues; whether it is SA20, Hundred, ILT20 or Big Bash, all engaged in a scramble to become cricket’s second-best league after IPL. Enjoying a social media following of over 16 million and an influential opinion maker through his many self-run media platforms, Ashwin’s voice, even while he is competing in tournaments, will resonate with a wider audience.
At 38, Ashwin is in the final phase of his playing career. But having played top-level cricket till recently, he may have a couple of good playing years in him. Many of the other short format leagues have players past their prime being able to fit in. Tim Southee, who was recently a member of England’s coaching staff, is playing in the Hundred. Kieron Pollard, who coaches Mumbai Indians, still plays in MLC and CPL. Imran Tahir, 46, is still going on his merry celebratory run after picking up wickets in CPL.
With many IPL franchises also owning teams in other leagues, Ashwin being drafted as a wildcard could well be on the cards. It may also make perfect economic sense to the player if he played in a bunch of leagues, depending on how much family time he is willing to sacrifice for cricket. News recently broke that Chennai Super Kings were going to release him to free up a ₹9.75 crore auction purse.
Ashwin may have known it was unlikely he would draw a salary anywhere as close anymore. Besides, the elite performer he is, he has also spoken about not enjoying being benched. IPL 2025 was the first time he featured in only nine matches in a season. Never before did he take fewer wickets (7) or concede more runs (ER 9.13).
The novelty of playing in new leagues, which may be a notch below in competition, may get his competitive juices flowing again. For a pioneering cricketer, he learnt the carrom ball, got it to reverse, and tweaked his action and the trajectory of his run-up so that batters can’t line up against him as they would against a traditional off-spinner. Never a conformist – he effected run-outs at the non-striker’s end as a bowler until it became a law – when Ashwin steps on the field abroad, the cricket world will take notice.
