Former India spinner R Ashwin has spoken in detail about his decision to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and possible plans to play in overseas T20 leagues. With his social media announcement of his retirement, Ashwin ended his 17-year stint in the T20 spectacular. He finished as the fifth-highest IPL wicket-taker with 187 wickets from 221 IPL games.
The off-spinner recently revealed that he enjoys taking the less-traveled routes and expressed his ambition to play in international competitions. He added that he would keep playing cricket, which he described as the "greatest joy of his life."
“I won’t say it’s a well-planned (decision). But my way of life has been travelling paths less travelled. But I don’t do anything for not going in a particular direction. I wouldn’t deny that I didn’t have in mind the thought of playing overseas. It was there. In my mind, I want to really enjoy cricket in the final stages of my cricket career. I don’t want any regrets in life. I will definitely keep playing cricket. For me, cricket is a source of great joy,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
He also described playing in the IPL on a strict schedule as a "draining experience," highlighting the psychological and physical toll it takes.
“I contemplated whether I should play IPL next season. Three months of IPL felt like a bit too much. I have gone to a stage of life where I want to play three months of IPL, but it’s very draining. That’s why I am amazed by someone like MS Dhoni. He plays for only three months. But, with age, the bandwidth to play those three months keeps decreasing. Three months of travel, playing matches, and recovery after matches are not easy. As you age, the ability to recover will go down. After recovering, you have to play again. I thought about all these a lot. There’s this health factor,” he added.
In addition, Ashwin revealed that he has already signed up for a foreign league; however, he did not specify the name of the competition.
"I was wondering if I can head to coaching immediately. But then I thought, "This candle can still burn." So, I want to play. Say, if you go overseas and play, you can enjoy the experience. Not many people will recognize you on the streets; you can have fun. It’s not like I will travel across the world and compete in each and every league. No, I can’t play 10 months in a year. I will wait for opportunities and see how I fit into different teams’ plans. I have already registered for one such league. Let's see how it goes," said Ashwin.
The 38-year-old began and finished his IPL career with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and won the IPL twice with them in 2010 and 2011.
He has played for the Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiants and even led Kings XI Punjab (now the Punjab Kings) during his time there.
