Knee injury jeopardises Ashwin’s Big Bash League debut
Ashwin, who was set to become the first Indian male cricketer to feature in the BBL as a full-season signing, will now miss the tournament’s initial phase.
Ashwin, who was set to become the first Indian male cricketer to feature in the BBL as a full-season signing, will now miss the tournament’s initial phase.
Ashwin, the former India off-spinner with 765 wickets across formats, will turn out for the Thunder in the upcoming BBL season after completing his stint at the UAE’s ILT20, which finishes on January 5, 2026.
While several India women’s cricketers have played in the WBBL, BCCI rules had until now prevented India men from joining overseas leagues.
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.
The BCCI doesn't allow any current player in Indian international or domestic cricket to feature in overseas T20 leagues, and hence Ashwin’s retirement from IPL opens the door for him to explore opportunities across the other T20 leagues across the globe.
CSK's statement came after Ashwin recently claimed on his YouTube channel that Brevis' signing at the Chennai-based franchise was done after they agreed to pay extra.
“I didn't have an idea that both (Rohit and Kohli) would retire together. This will be a testing time for Indian cricket, and I'll say this is truly now the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era,” Ashwin said on his YouTube show 'Ash Ki Baat’.
Sources have told The Statesman that Kohli has expressed his desire to retire from Test cricket and has been in discussion with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for some time.
Ashwin, who announced his retirement following the conclusion of the third Test against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane, said he had first contemplated retirement following his 100th Test (against England in Dharamsala) in the early part of last year.
Questioning England cricket’s “mindset”, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin slammed their approach towards “sub-continental tours” after the Jos Buttler-led team was shown the exit door from the group stage of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
