Veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday, August 27. Ravichandran Ashwin, who started his IPL career with five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), ended his journey in the cash-rich league with the same franchise. It is worth noting that R Ashwin made his IPL debut back in 2009 and has been an integral part of any side that he has been a part of in the tournament.
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. Ravichandran Ashwin ended his IPL career as the league’s fifth-highest wicket-taker with 187 scalps in 221 games at an economy rate of 7.2. Ashwin began and ended his IPL career with five-time champions and his home city based franchise, Chennai Super Kings.
Ravichandran Ashwin a maestro in spin bowling
The 38-year-old Ravichandran Ashwin played a total of 221 matches in the IPL, where he took 187 wickets at an economy of 7.2, taking one four-wicket haul. Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin has also scored 833 runs to his name in the 221 matches, maintaining an average of 13.01 runs. With the news of his IPL retirement, let us have a look at the 5 IPL records that are held by R Ashwin after his stellar career in the prestigious tournament.
Making his debut in 2009, R Ashwin only missed one IPL season (2017) due to injury, and with incredible consistency, the veteran sits in fifth place in the list of wicket-takers in IPL history. With 187 wickets to his name in 221 matches, R Ashwin finished his career as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history.
Notably, out of his 16 seasons in the IPL, R Ashwin played eight for Chennai Super Kings and finished his IPL career as the franchise’s third-highest wicket-taker with 97 wickets to his name. It is worth noting that R Ashwin led Punjab Kings in the IPL 2018 and 2019, and with 28 matches as captain in the IPL, R Ashwin has the fifth most wickets as a skipper in the tournament’s history. With 25 wickets in 28 matches as captain, R Ashwin is only behind the likes of Shane Warne, Hardik Pandya, Pat Cummins, and Anil Kumble.
One of the most economical bowlers in IPL history, Ashwin also has the third most dot balls in IPL history. A total of 1,663 dot balls were bowled by R Ashwin in his IPL history, only behind Sunil Narine and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Furthermore, R Ashwin sits at the mountaintop in the list of players with the most balls bowled in IPL history. With 4,710 balls bowled in 221 IPL matches, R Ashwin finished his IPL career with the most balls bowled of any player in the tournament’s history.
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.
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.
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 expectation,
Apart from CSK, R Ashwin also played for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, and captained Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).The 38-year-old R Ashwin ended his IPL career as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the league with 187 in 221 games at an economy rate of 7.2. He also scored 833 runs with the bat in the IPL at a strike rate of 118, including hitting a fifty.
While announcing his IPL retirement, Ashwin mentioned that he would be exploring playing in franchise T20 leagues across the globe.
“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,” said Ashwin in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday
“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,” he added.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has raised questions about the broader implications of Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement from the Indian Premier League, asking whether the move made by him could pave the way for other Indian cricketers to participate in overseas T20 leagues.
Ravichandran Ashwin is now saying that he will play different leagues- Aakash Chopra
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that R Ashwin’s decision to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and look for opportunities in overseas leagues could mark the beginning of a new trend for Indian players.
R Ashwin, through a social media post, announced his IPL retirement on Wednesday, August 27, putting curtains on a career where he played for five different franchises, notably, starting with Chennai Super Kings and ending his journey with the same franchise. Chopra believes Ashwin’s move might inspire others, but only a few players are likely to follow this path.
“Ravichandran Ashwin has said goodbye to the IPL as well, and he is now saying that he will go play the different leagues across the globe. He is charting a new course. His IPL career has been terrific, but all good stories come to an end, and his story ends here. Does it mean other Indian players can also go to play in other leagues?” Chopra questioned on his YouTube channel.
As prescribed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a current Indian player cannot participate in overseas leagues. If a cricketer wants to play in foreign leagues, he has to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. According to Chopra, Ashwin is charting a new course by stepping away from the IPL despite having a lucrative Rs. 9.75 crore contract.
The cricketer-turned-commentator explained that while Ashwin is likely to find opportunities in different leagues, the rules make it tough for other Indian players to do the same.
“Wherever he puts his name, he is going to get picked, and he will do very well. Indian players aren’t allowed to play in the other leagues to save the novelty of the IPL. If you have to go and play elsewhere, you have to retire not just from international cricket, but also from the IPL, and that’s a slightly big caveat. You can go and play somewhere else only if you say tata bye-bye to IPL money,” he added.
However, Chopra feels very few cricketers in India will take this bold step. “There are very few players like that. Ravichandran Ashwin is doing something incredibly different. He is writing a different story as he is leaving despite having a Rs. 9.75 crore contract. Everyone cannot do that. If someone is bought for less money, no one buys him outside either. If someone is getting good money here, why would he leave?” reasoned the former India opener.
In the fast-paced T20 world, orthodox Ashwin always found ways to reinvent himself. In 221 IPL matches, he scalped 187 wickets, with best bowling figures of 4/34. Ashwin grabbed headlines in 2019 by running out Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end. He is also reputed for his big-match temperament, dismissing the ever-dangerous Chris Gayle in the 2011 IPL final and spinning a web around RCB batters in the 2024 IPL Eliminator.
“Let’s celebrate Ravichandran Ashwin. Leaving aside the stats, he has done some incredible things. Absolutely clean action, there is no doosra, but he stayed consistently relevant as a bowler. This format is extremely difficult for a finger spinner. He has been outstanding. Constantly outthinking the batter. It seems like he hasn’t bowled two similar balls,” he commented.
With Ashwin no longer a BCCI-contracted player, he is unlikely to face any issue participating in The Hundred. For the unversed, BCCI’s rules bar India’s male cricketers from participating in overseas T20 leagues, unless they retire from Indian cricket at all levels. However, women cricketers face no such issue, and in the past, several Indian female stars have featured in The Hundred.
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