Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has reacted to the sudden retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin from the Indian Premier League on Thursday, August 28th. The 28-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad said that it had been a privilege for him to share the same dressing room with Ravichandran Ashwin. Gaikwad also said that he watched the legend play for the five-time IPL champions in his formative years.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s thoughts on Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement.
Taking to Instagram, Ruturaj Gaikwad put out an Instagram story. He wrote: “To watching you play for the OG CSK and then getting to play alongside in yellow, privileged to share the dressing room with you ash anna.”
For the record, Ravichandran Ashwin returned to CSK in IPL 2025 after 10 years, after the franchise bought him for 9.75 crore at the mega auction in November 2024. Gaikwad captained him in the opening five matches of IPL 2025. However, the batter was ruled out of the tournament after the match against the Punjab Kings at New Chandigarh.
Five-time IPL winning captain MS Dhoni was reappointed as captain. That decision, however, did not change the team’s fortunes as the team finished at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their history of IPL.
Ravichandran Ashwin To Explore Foreign Leagues Abroad After Quitting IPL.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s decision to retire from the IPL will give him an opportunity to play in overseas T20 leagues. Ashwin finished with 187 wickets in 221 IPL games at an economy rate of 7.20. The 38-year-old was part of the CSK sides that won the league back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. He was also part of multiple franchises plying his trade with Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals. Delhi Capitals with Ashwin in the side finished runners up in 2020 while Rajasthan Royals in 2022 finished runners up with Ashwin in their side.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s rich experience in the shortest format, coupled with an unconventional mind, could find him takers in leagues around the world. Ravichandran Ashwin’s ability to think differently was on display multiple times. He became the first player in IPL history to retire out while playing for RR against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022, which went a long way in helping his side winning the match.
It remains to be seen what Ashwin does next with regards to his participation in foreign leagues abroad. He will be keeping his cards close to the chest before taking out his next step. He could put up his name for any of the foreign leagues like SA 20, IL T20 to name a few. For all we know, he could put up his name in the Hundred, the newest format. Rumours already has it that he may be acquired by Northern Superchargers.
So, it will be interesting to see how things shape up for Ashwin. For Ruturaj Gaikwad, he is making a comeback after injury and doing well by scoring centuries in the Buchi Babu tournament. He will now want to do well in the Duleep Trophy in order to get on the road for a possible India comeback. But he will want to take the baby steps in getting back to the Indian side.
Ruturaj has to do the hard yards to get back in any of the Indian sides as many people have caught the bus and are ahead of him in the race. Next few months will be crucial for Ruturaj as he has to do well in domestic cricket in order to fully comeback in the side. That also may not be enough as there is tremendous healthy competition for places in the Indian side. So, we have to really wait and watch as to how the next phase turns out for Gaikwad. For Ashwin, his roadmap is clear and the ball is now in his court to take the next step.
Also Read: IPL 2026: 3 Best Spells By Ravichandran Ashwin In History Of IPL.