Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday, after a memorable 16-season career in the world's most popular T20 tournament. However, the 38-year-old has confirmed that he would continue to play in leagues abroad.
The Chennai-born cricketer, who played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 season after being bought back for Rs 9.75 crore, announced his decision in an emotive message on social media.
“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. Would like to thank all the franchisees, the IPL, and the BCCI for all the wonderful memories,” Ashwin wrote on X.
Amongst the tributes Ashwin received, the best one came from his wife, Prithi Narayanan, who captured the moment with a heartfelt message.
Taking to Instagram, she posted, “I love you! Ashwin. Can’t wait to see you do new things and scale new heights.”
Ashwin made his IPL debut with CSK in 2009 and played a key role in their back-to-back title victories in 2010 and 2011. He retired from international cricket last year.
Before rejoining CSK in 2025, he played for five different teams over the years: the Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Rajasthan Royals. The cunning off-spinner took 187 wickets at an economy rate of 7.20 in 221 games.
His homecoming to CSK in IPL 2025 proved to be a disappointing one, as he picked 7 wickets in 9 games as the team ended at the bottom of the points table.
