Chitra Ravichandran, Ashwin’s mother, feels MS Dhoni had a huge impact on her son’s career not just as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but also as a player. In an interview with CSK’s YouTube channel, she recalled Dhoni’s 29-ball 54 that helped CSK win a close game against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). That innings was key in getting CSK to the playoffs where Ashwin burst onto the scene and started his career.
Chitra said, “We can’t forget that the IPL showed Ashwin’s talent to everyone. CSK had a big role in that. Dhoni’s performance in that game took CSK to the knockouts. After that Ashwin took wickets and we won the title. If we had lost that match, no one would have known about Ashwin today.”
Before the playoffs Ashwin had already taken 12 wickets including one against Kumar Sangakkara in that game in Dharamsala. He also took a big wicket of Andrew Symonds in the semi-final and bowled well in the final.
See Also:- IPL 2025 Captains List
Ashwin played for CSK till 2015 and was one of their top bowlers. After 9 years with other teams he came back to CSK in the 2025 auction. Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore were also in the fray but CSK got him for 9.75 crore. It was an emotional moment for the family.
Read Also:- Most Run Scorers in IPL 2025
His wife Prithi said, “In a mega auction it’s tough. You can’t blame anyone. We just wanted Ashwin to go to a place where he’s happy. He’s faced a lot of pressure over the years and we felt it would be great for him to come back to CSK. My kids were confused; they knew about the auction but didn’t understand what was going on. I was just focused on where Ashwin would end up. When the bidding paused I was so nervous. But finally when CSK didn’t drop the paddle and he got sold it was an emotional moment for us. We got flooded with calls and I was in tears. It really felt like coming full circle.”
