Big news for cricket fans! Ravichandran Ashwin is coming to Australia. He’s signed with the Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash League (BBL) next season.
Apparently, Ashwin was talking to four BBL teams: the Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers, Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers. Sources say Ricky Ponting, who coaches the Hobart Hurricanes, was also trying to get Ashwin on his team. But in the end, it was David Warner, the Thunder captain, who convinced him to come to Sydney for the 2025-2026 season. Ashwin retired from domestic cricket this year.
The BBL season starts on December 14th and ends on January 25th. Ashwin will join the Thunder in January.
Read Also:- England Announces Squad for 2025-26 Ashes Series
Ashwin retired from international cricket last December. He also played his last IPL season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and then retired from Indian domestic cricket after playing for Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). He has said he wants to play in franchise leagues around the world. So he’s getting offers from different leagues like the International League T20 (ILT20).
The Thunder play at the Sydney Showground Stadium. They’re one of two Sydney-based teams, with the Sydney Sixers being the other. Apparently Ashwin wanted to join the Thunder because he gets along well with David Warner.
Before he puts on the Thunder jersey, Ashwin has to focus on the ILT20. He’s registered for the ILT20 auction on October 1st. If a team picks him, he’ll play in that league from December 2nd to January 4th. He’s set his base price at $120,000, the highest in the auction.
If Ashwin’s team makes it to the ILT20 playoffs, he won’t be able to join the Thunder until after January 4th. That would leave him with time to play in only three or four BBL games with the team, before the group stage ends on January 18th. If the Thunder make it to the BBL playoffs, he’ll be available for around six or seven games in total.
