Ravichandran Ashwin, the experienced off-spinner, ended his IPL playing days on Wednesday. He shared the news on social media with a heartfelt message. After playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) again this year after eight seasons away, he didn’t quite reach the level everyone hoped for. He played in nine games and took seven wickets, with an average of 40.42 runs allowed per wicket. Just as whispers started about him possibly leaving the team, he made the surprising retirement announcement.
Ashwin opened up on his YouTube channel about why he decided to retire. He said he just doesn’t have the energy anymore to keep up with the demanding IPL schedule, which lasts three months. He confessed that the travel, games, and recovery time are getting harder to handle as he gets older.
Ashwin said, I was wondering if I could play in the IPL next year. Three months is a bit too long for me; it really wears me out. That’s one of the reasons I’m so amazed by someone like MS Dhoni. As you get older, it gets harder to put in the time and effort needed for the IPL.
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In his retirement announcement, he also added an interesting statement: My time trying to learn everything I can about cricket starts now. Some news reports said he might play in The Hundred and SA20 leagues. Ashwin did confirm that he’s signed up for another league, but he didn’t say which one.
Ashwin first played in the IPL in 2009, during the second season. Since then, he’s played in 221 matches for five different teams. Those teams are Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Super Giants, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals.
Over his IPL career, Ashwin took 187 wickets and scored 833 runs, averaging 13.01 runs per game. He’s played the seventh-most games in the IPL. He also captained Punjab Kings in 28 games from 2018 to 2019, but he only won 12 of those games. Now that he is retired let’s see what new path awaits for the veteran off spinner.
