R Ashwin retires from IPL amid trade rumours, sets sight on overseas leagues

Retired India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called time on his Indian Premier League career on Wednesday, August 27. Ashwin took to his social media account to announce the decision. The legendary spinner played 221 matches in the competition and picked up 187 wickets.

"Special day and hence a special 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. Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the wonderful memories and relationships over the years and most importantly the IPL and the BCCI for what they have given me until now. Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what’s ahead of me," Ashwin said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ashwin has featured for five teams in the Indian Premier League and even captained the Punjab franchise during his stint there. Over the course of his IPL career, he has represented Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals.

Ashwin retires as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the tournament, behind Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla. He has also scored 833 runs, including one half-century, for Rajasthan Royals.

R Ashwin's IPL 2025 Season

The spinner played his final season for his home team, CSK. He picked up 7 wickets and scored 33 runs in his 9 outings in the tournament. Ashwin was involved in other controversies amidst CSK's struggles in 2025. Last season, Ashwin was called out due to his YouTube channel, which had criticised Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad, his CSK teammate. One of the channel's analysts, Prasanna Agoram, argued that Noor Ahmad was not needed in the lineup.

Prasanna had argued that due to the presence of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the lineup, CSK could use an extra batter in place of the Afghanistan leg spinner. The comment did not sit well with many, as fans argued against the axing of the purple cap holder in the tournament.

There was severe backlash over the comment made by the former South African analyst Prasanna, who is also known to be close to Ashwin. Later, the admin of the channel issued a statement that Prasanna's views on any matter on the channel are his own and do not reflect Ashwin's views in any manner.

"Given the nature of the discussions on this forum over the last week, we want to be mindful of how things can be interpreted and have chosen to step away from covering CSK games, both previews and reviews, for the rest of this season," read a note from the admin of Ashwin's channel.

Trade Rumours Led to Retirement?

Ashwin had earlier revealed that he has sought clarity from Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2026 season. Ashwin was bought by CSK for Rs 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega-auction in what was billed as an emotional homecoming for the former India spinner. However, the campaign turned out to be a forgettable one for Ashwin, as his performances fell short of expectations.

"I played three years for RR," Ashwin said on his YouTube show. "After my 1st year, I got an email from the CEO saying this is your performance, this is our expectation and we're renewing your contract. It's one plus one plus one - the contract renewal. After every season, it's the responsibility of the franchise to communicate to the player if they're retaining or releasing him," Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel.

"With regard to news about me or Sanju - obviously a player has the right to express interest [if he wishes to be retained or no]. Every player seeks clarity. As things stand, it's not in my hands. I've just asked for clarity. The situation we're in, all the news floating around, none of it is coming from the players. Even with Sanju's news, it's rumours or it's coming from the franchise's side. I don't know who is making this news," Ashwin added.