Ravichandran Ashwin and CSK set to part ways before IPL 2026- Report

Ravichandran Ashwin was bought by CSK in the IPL 2025 auction for INR 9.75 crores.

After being purchased by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 super auction, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has decided to leave the five-time winners.

In IPL 2025, the 38-year-old had a terrible season, taking just seven wickets in nine games. In the blockbuster auction, CSK paid INR 9.75 crore for the off-spinner, but he did not live up to the hype.

It’s unclear if he has any clues about CSK’s future plans, but as Cricbuzz revealed yesterday, senior CSK players and executives, including MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad, have been gathering in Chennai in recent days. The franchise probably talked about its plans for the upcoming season.

Ravichandran Ashwin played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giants (RPSG), Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2016 to 2024. The seasoned off-spinner made his IPL debut in 2009 and played for CSK for the first eight seasons (2008–2015) under MS Dhoni’s leadership.

Ravi Ashwin is set to leave his role as the Director of Operations at the CSK Academy

As per a report published in Cricbuzz, Ashwin has already notified the franchise of his desire to leave CSK. However, Ashwin’s decision rationale is now unknown.

It is also probable that the seasoned spinner will resign from his position as the CSK Academy’s Director of Operations. For the past year, he has been in this role.

There might be a conflict of interest if Ashwin chooses to stay in the CSK position after joining another franchise. Cricbuzz claims that Ashwin has chosen to resign from the position because he is eager to prevent a situation like this.

Whether Ashwin joins the pool for the mini-auction, which is scheduled for later this year, or is traded to another team is still up in the air.

In the IPL circuit, Ashwin, a veteran of 221 games with 187 wickets (at a solid economy rate of 7.29) and 833 runs (at a strike rate of 118), will undoubtedly find takers.

After the Gabba test match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, Ashwin said goodbye to international cricket. He finished his career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker across all three game types.

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