Ravichandran Ashwin’s long-awaited Big Bash League debut with Sydney Thunder will have to wait. The 38-year-old off-spinner has undergone knee surgery after an injury picked up during training in Chennai and will miss the entirety of BBL|15, scheduled from 14 December to 25 January.
“I’m gutted to miss BBL|15,” Ashwin said in a statement released by Thunder. “My focus now is recovery and coming back stronger. I’m grateful to the Thunder family and the fans for the warmth they’ve already shown me. Trent [Copeland, Thunder general manager] and the entire management made me feel part of the club from our very first conversation.
“If rehab and travel plans allow, I’d love to be around the group later in the season and meet the fans. Wishing both Thunder teams a big year.”
Ashwin, who retired from the IPL earlier in 2025, would have been the first capped India player to feature in the BBL. He had committed to the whole campaign after going unsold at the ILT20 auction, viewing the Australian summer as a fresh chapter in a distinguished career that already includes more than 700 international wickets.
The Thunder, keen to tap into Ashwin’s experience and profile, see the setback as temporary rather than terminal. “Everyone at Sydney Thunder was devastated to learn of Ash’s knee injury that has ruled him out of BBL|15, and we wish him well in his recovery,” Copeland said. “From the moment we first spoke with Ash, his commitment to Thunder was clear. We are hopeful of welcoming him into our dug-out for part of BBL|15, introducing him to our fans at events and building a long-term relationship.”
Cricket Australia had also invested time in bringing Ashwin to the league, with CEO Todd Greenberg and BBL boss Alistair Dobson both sounding him out before the contract was signed. The prospect of Ashwin linking up with David Warner in lime green, squaring off against Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and, notably, Pakistan captain Babar Azam for the Sydney Sixers, had been trailed as one of the season’s marquee story-lines.
From a cricketing perspective, Thunder are not short of spin options—Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha, Shadab Khan and Tom Andrews give them variety—but Ashwin’s tactical nous and box-office appeal are harder to replace. The club can nominate an injury substitute, though Australian and overseas player quotas remain a consideration.
Beyond the immediate disappointment, there is cautious optimism. Thunder say they will “work closely with him on a revised schedule of activity”, raising the possibility of Ashwin appearing at matches in a mentoring or promotional capacity while his rehabilitation continues. For now, the focus is on recovery timelines; elite knee surgery typically carries a three-to-six-month lay-off, depending on the extent of the repair and the player’s response to physiotherapy.
The BBL itself will feel the absence. An Indian star drawing both South Asian expats and curious neutrals would have been a timely boost as the competition seeks to maintain relevance amid an increasingly crowded global calendar. Yet, as Copeland noted, Thunder believe their men’s and women’s squads remain “championship-contending”, and the door remains open for Ashwin to make his Big Bash bow in 2026.
In elite sport, timing is often everything. Ashwin’s latest setback is untimely, but neither player nor club appears ready to let one painful twist of the knee define their relationship.
