Ravichandran Ashwin has confirmed the end of his Indian Premier League career, telling followers on X (formerly Twitter): “My time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today.” A second post swiftly followed: “Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what’s ahead of me.”
The 38-year-old off-spinner departs as the IPL’s fifth-highest wicket-taker, 187 scalps at 7.20 runs per over, and with two titles collected during Chennai Super Kings’ 2010 and 2011 triumphs. His journey began with his home franchise, meandered through four other sides, and eventually circled back to Chennai for what proved a difficult 2025 season. Limited to nine appearances – his leanest campaign since his 2009 debut – he conceded at 9.12 an over, the steepest economy rate of his IPL life.
Ashwin had stepped away from international cricket eight months earlier, finishing on 489 Test wickets, second only to Anil Kumble for India. That decision freed up space in the national side but, more importantly for the player, opened a fresh calendar. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India barring contracted cricketers from overseas T20 leagues, retirement remains the only passport to a travelling career. Dinesh Karthik set the recent template: IPL farewell in June 2024, a coaching role at home, then a stint in the SA20 six months later.
Similar doors now stand ajar. The Big Bash in Australia, SA20 in South Africa, the Hundred in England and the Caribbean Premier League have all proved keen on experienced spin. Whether franchises regard Ashwin – still a canny power-play operator with a box of variations – as a short-term option or strategic signing will emerge in the coming weeks. One senior analyst at a Hundred side noted privately that “the skill set translates, but squad balance and overseas slots are tight”.
Ashwin must also forgo the Tamil Nadu Premier League to take up any such deal, a small but significant concession given his longstanding ties to state cricket. A former Tamil Nadu team-mate believes the move makes sense: “He’s always thrived on fresh stimuli; new dressing rooms might just give him that late-career spark.”
For Chennai supporters the retirement draws a curtain on a local career that began in MA Chidambaram Stadium’s nets more than 15 years ago and later delivered two trophies. The ending was not story-book, yet the numbers endure, and the next chapter promises fresh plots far from Chepauk’s yellow sea.
