Ashwin enters ILT20 draft, could also feature in Australia’s Big Bash League

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international duty last December and from the Indian Premier League in August, has signed up for the ILT20 auction, to be held in Dubai on October 1.

Ashwin, 39, has listed a base price of USD 120,000, making him the only player on the long list to be valued in six figures. Should a franchise secure his services, ILT20 will mark his first appearance in a foreign competition.

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Ashwin is one of 24 Indian cricketers included in the auction longlist, which currently contains close to 800 names. The final pool will be drawn up later this week once franchises submit their wishlists. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow any player in Indian international or domestic cricket to feature in overseas leagues in an attempt to protect the IPL.

The fourth season of the ILT20 will run from December 2 to January 4, featuring six franchises. Ashwin has declared full availability for the tournament and is also expected to join the Big Bash League afterwards, where at least four teams are understood to be interested in signing him for the latter stages of the season. The BBL runs from December 15 to January 25, meaning Ashwin could be available at the back-end of the league phase and for the play-offs.

ILT20 franchises had already completed their retention and direct signing process in July. Each team was permitted to spend up to USD 1.2 million on that exercise, leaving an additional USD 800,000 available at the auction.

While the overall spending cap per team is USD 2 million, each must commit at least USD 1.5 million. Teams also have the option of investing an extra USD 250,000 to secure up to two wildcard players outside the auction.

Under the squad composition rules, each franchise must assemble a roster of 19 to 21 players, excluding wildcards. The squad must include at least 11 players from Full Member nations, four from the UAE, one each from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and two from other Associate countries.

Additionally, franchises will be allowed one right-to-match (RTM) card, though it can only be used for a UAE player who was part of either their 2025 squad or their development programme.