Ravichandran Ashwin made a comeback to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025 Auction. It was regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the IPL. However, the story didn’t have a happy ending, and Ashwin might be on the brink of getting released by the team.
CSK fought a tough battle at the auction table against Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals to bring Ashwin to the squad. The franchise spent INR 9.75 crore for Ashwin. He played nine matches and took seven wickets at an average of 40.42.
It was only the fourth time that Ashwin failed to take more than 10 wickets in a season. Also, he conceded runs at an economy of 9.12, which was also the first time his economy went beyond nine runs per over since making his IPL debut in 2009. It was also the first time Ashwin played fewer than 10 matches in a season since 2010.
Ashwin Likely To Leave The Director Of Operations Position At The CSK Academy: Reports
According to a report in Cricbuzz, it is Ashwin who has decided to part ways with CSK and has informed the franchise about this decision. Ashwin gave a hint about the exact reason for this departure in a video on his YouTube channel.
“Last year, I played only nine games; in all my years of playing in the IPL, that was the first year I played just nine games. I always used to play every game for whichever franchise I was in, so it was my first experience like that. I asked for clarity from my side, but I asked for it during the IPL season itself,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin further mentioned that he asked for role clarity in the team before the last season ended. “Now, a player can express that he does or does not have an interest in renewing the contract and hence can seek clarity. So in this situation, where I am right now, I only sought clarity, which I had, in fact, asked for after the season had ended,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin is also expected to leave his position as the Director of Operations at the CSK Academy, which he assumed last year. There might be a conflict of interest if he continues to remain in the role and joins another franchise in the upcoming season of the IPL.
There have been reports that suggest that the Rajasthan Royals might trade Ashwin for Sanju Samson. Ashwin also had a say on this and mentioned that it might not be possible for this trade to happen.
“I became a CSK player at Rs 9.75 crore last year, and Sanju Samson’s price is Rs 18 crore at RR. Correct? Now, if CSK wants a player worth Rs 18 crore, they need to have that amount. Okay, so CSK has to release players worth Rs 18 crore, or they have to trade off players worthy of Rs 18 crore. You can trade to RR or somewhere else.,” he said.
Ashwin started his IPL journey with CSK in 2008 and made his debut in 2009. He played for the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 before being picked up by the Punjab Kings in 2018. Ashwin was traded to the Delhi Capitals before the 2020 season of IPL and played for Rajasthan Royals for three seasons before making a comeback to CSK this year. He has taken a total of 187 wickets in 220 matches at an average of 30.22.
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