"It's draining…"- Ravichandran Ashwin reveals shocking reason behind IPL retirement

Ravichandran Ashwin recently announced his retirement from the IPL.

Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the reason behind his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-arm spinner called time on his career in Indian cricket on Wednesday (27th August) and is looking forward to playing in foreign leagues.

Due to the policy of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), players cannot participate in overseas T20 leagues until they retire from Indian cricket. Ashwin, who played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, will now be eligible to play in the leagues outside India.

Ashwin, who represented five teams during his IPL career, ended with 187 wickets in 221 games. He finished his career as one of the greatest bowlers in the tournament, ending as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the league. He made his debut in the 2009 edition for CSK, and also helped the team win the trophies in the 2010 and 2011 editions.

Three months of cricket isn’t easy- Ravichandran Ashwin on IPL retirement

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that playing three months of cricket during IPL is too challenging for him. Hence, he chose to retire from the tournament.

“I was thinking if I can play IPL next year. Three months of IPL is a little too much for me. It’s draining. This is one of the reasons why I’m awe-struck by seeing someone like MS Dhoni,” he said.

“As you grow older, the bandwidth to play IPL becomes lesser. Three months of cricket isn’t easy -you have to travel, play matches, and let your body recover after the matches,” he added.

Ashwin failed to impress in IPL 2025, picking seven wickets in nine games at an economy of 9.12, where his side CSK finished at the last spot in the points table. He was roped in by CSK for Rs. 9.75 crores during the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Notably, Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket in December last year. He finished his career as the second highest wicket-taker of all time for India across formats.

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