Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian spinner, is currently playing for the Chennai Super Kings and also runs a YouTube channel. On Monday, he announced that his channel would stop covering any of the team’s matches after facing backlash over what some of their panelists said following a recent game.
The trouble began last week when Prasanna Agoram, a former data analyst for South Africa and someone who often appears on the channel, openly criticized Chennai’s choice to bring in Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad. His take was that the team might have been better off selecting another batter instead of adding a third spinner to the lineup. This comment sparked quite a bit of discussion and controversy, leading the channel to remove the clip after it drew criticism online.
See Also:- Most Runs Conceded by Bowlers in IPL
Chennai has had a tough time lately, suffering their third straight loss, including an upset against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home for the first time in 17 years. They also fell to the Delhi Capitals at home for the first time since 2010. To put it in perspective, Noor Ahmad is currently leading the purple cap race in IPL 2025 with 10 wickets in just four games, while Ashwin and Jadeja have only managed four wickets between them from eight matches.
In light of all this, Ashwin’s YouTube channel shared a note explaining their decision. They mentioned wanting to be careful about how discussions are interpreted, so they’ve decided to pull away from covering the Chennai Super Kings games for the rest of the season. The note highlighted the importance of diverse opinions on their shows and their commitment to keeping conversations aligned with the channel’s core values.
Read Also:- Most Wickets in IPL history
Chennai has used up 17 players so far, including all seven of their overseas players, which is unusual for them because they typically like to stick with a consistent lineup. This year hasn’t started well for the Super Kings; they’ve lost all three of their games while trying to chase targets.
Looking ahead, they will be up against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on April 8. They’ll be eager to turn their luck around and get their first win of the season. Although Punjab just lost to the Rajasthan Royals at home, they seem to have a more balanced team overall, which puts them in a stronger position compared to Chennai, who are still figuring out their best combination of players.