Ashwin retires from IPL to pursue overseas league play and coaching.

Ravichandran Ashwin announced on August 27 that he is retiring from the Indian Premier League, saying the move frees him to pursue playing and coaching opportunities in overseas franchise leagues. The 38 year old former India offspinner made the announcement on social media and reiterated on his YouTube channel that the three month IPL schedule had become difficult to sustain and that he now wants to "explore the game around various leagues" and "play with joy."

Ashwin’s decision follows his retirement from international cricket in December 2024 and closes a 16 season IPL career that began with Chennai Super Kings. He played 221 IPL matches and took 187 wickets, leaving as one of the competition’s top five wicket takers. Season statistics show his final IPL campaign with CSK produced seven wickets in nine matches at an economy above nine runs per over, figures commentators cited when assessing his form before the announcement. He had rejoined CSK at the 2025 mega auction after being bought for a reported INR 9.75 crore.

The move immediately clears the Board of Control for Cricket in India rule that prevents contracted Indian players from featuring in foreign leagues. Ashwin has...