Ravichandran Ashwin Opens Up About IPL Retirement and CSK Challenges
Ashwin Reflects on His IPL Journey
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] - Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has shared insights into his decision to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL), citing a challenging emotional experience during his return to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He expressed that the situation left him with "no emotional bandwidth" to continue participating in the league.
Ashwin, who was a key player for CSK from 2008 to 2015 and returned to the team last year, discussed his retirement on his YouTube channel, 'Ash ki Baat'. After stepping away from international cricket in early 2025 following a disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he also announced his IPL retirement in August of the same year.
On his channel, Ashwin remarked, "I had a disappointing season with CSK, and personally, it was tough for me. I felt I could have played more, but I chose to retire because I lacked the emotional capacity to manage everything else while playing."
He further elaborated, "It was mentally taxing and quite painful. I don't want to revisit that. I decided to conclude my journey where it began. My retirement also relieved CSK from the dilemma of retaining or releasing me, allowing them to gain an additional Rs 10 crores to enhance their squad during the auction."
Last year, CSK signed Ashwin for Rs 9.75 crores, reuniting him with franchise legends MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. However, the excitement did not translate into performance, as he managed only seven wickets in nine matches, averaging 40.42, with his best figures being 2/41. CSK finished the season poorly, securing only four wins out of 14 matches.
Throughout his IPL career, Ashwin played for CSK, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiant, amassing 187 wickets in 221 matches at an average of 30.22, making him the fifth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. He also scored 833 runs in 98 innings, averaging 13.01, with one half-century.
The former all-rounder criticized CSK's strategy of using tall pacer Jamie Overton in the death overs, suggesting that he was being asked to bowl wide yorkers, which are not his forte. Overton had a promising start, conceding only 13 runs in his first two overs and taking a wicket, but struggled in the final over, giving away 30 runs to Tim David.
Ashwin commented, "He bowled two overs, gave away 12 runs, and took a wicket. But then, he was instructed to bowl hard lengths like in a Test match. Tim David couldn't even touch the ball initially, but then he hit him for four sixes and a four. What kind of plan is that? Every bowler seems to be trying to bowl wide yorkers. Overton is tall, and yorkers aren't his strength. Why set him up for that?"
He continued, "You need to consider the strengths of both the batter and the bowler when devising a strategy. If I asked a 10th grader to solve a complex math problem, would they manage it? A bowler's strength is hard length; a yorker should just be a variation. They set a field for a wide yorker, and Tim David hit him for a six that went far."
In a recent match, RCB scored an impressive 250/3 against CSK. Despite a rocky start, CSK managed a fightback with notable performances from Sarfaraz Khan and Jamie Overton, but ultimately fell short, finishing at 207 in 19.4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout bowler, taking 3/41 and becoming the second bowler to reach 200 IPL wickets.