India’s legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on 27 August 2025. Earlier, on 18 December last year, Ashwin had already bid farewell to international cricket during India’s tour of Australia. With his retirement from both international cricket and the IPL, Ashwin is now eligible to participate in overseas T20 leagues.
The veteran spinner is most likely to make his first appearance in the International League T20 (ILT20). Ashwin has already registered his name for the upcoming ILT20 auction and confirmed this in an interview with Cricbuzz. The league is held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has successfully completed three seasons so far. In the previous season, Dubai Capitals defeated Desert Vipers to lift the trophy.
Speaking about his decision, Ashwin said, “I have submitted my name for the ILT20 auction, and I hope some team picks me. I believe there should be no regrets in life, and I want to enjoy cricket till the very end.” He added that his decision was not deeply calculated but rather a natural step forward, as playing in foreign leagues was already on his mind for quite some time.
Ashwin’s IPL record shows that he played 221 matches and took 187 wickets, making him the fifth-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. He made his debut and played his final IPL match for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ashwin played a crucial role in helping CSK win the 2010 and 2011 IPL titles.
Expressing his love for the game, Ashwin said, “Playing cricket has been the greatest joy of my life. I want to keep enjoying the game for as long as I can.” Overall, after bidding farewell to international cricket and the IPL, Ashwin now wants to cherish the final phase of his career by playing in overseas T20 leagues.