&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Ravichandran Ashwin retirement: Spinner's IPL salary will leave you stunned! He earned more than...")
The former Indian Spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, surprised the cricket world by announcing his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday (August 27). The veteran spinner had rejoined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the IPL 2025 mega-auction and was expected to continue for a few more years. However, he decided to step away from the league and will now focus on playing in overseas tournaments. In a post on X, Ashwin wrote, “Special day and hence a special beginning. They say every ending will have a new start. My time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today.”
In the mega IPL auction, last year, Chennai Super Kings showed strong interest in bringing Ashwin back to the team and eventually bought him for ₹9.75 crore, outbidding Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals. Interestingly, Ashwin’s deal was nearly ₹6 crore (5.75 crore) higher than what CSK paid to retain ex-captain MS Dhoni (₹4 crore). It means he earned ₹5.75 crore more than CSK’s stand-in skipper.
Despite the big signing in the mega auction, Ashwin’s 2025 season didn’t go as well as planned. He managed only 7 wickets in 9 matches at a bowling economy of 9.13. Overall in IPL, Ashwin has 187 wickets in 221 games at a bowling economy of 7.20.
Ashwin’s association with CSK in 2009 and his consistent performances in the IPL helped him earn a call-up to the India team, and he was also part of CSK’s title-winning squads in 2010 and 2011. When CSK returned to the IPL in 2018 after suspension, they tried to bring Ashwin back but failed to secure him. Apart from CSK, Ashwin also played for other teams — Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and later Rajasthan Royals before finally returning to CSK. He also played under Dhoni’s leadership at Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016.
