Ashwin reveals why he retired from IPL

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has spilled the beans on his abrupt decision to retire from the Indian Premier League. After retiring from international cricket in December 2024, the CSK spinner decided to bring the curtains down on his IPL career as well earlier this week, finishing his career in the tournament with the very side he started with. Days after his retirement, Ashwin has shed light on what prompted him to retire and what’s next for him.

‘No bandwidth to play IPL’

In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin explains that he felt he no longer had the bandwidth to play a 3-month long IPL. The former CSK spinner pointed out that playing in the IPL meant a rigorous routine for a cricketer which he could no longer follow owing to his age. Ashwin’s clarification comes after his retirement was linked with CSK possibly trading or releasing him ahead of the mini-auction.

“I was thinking if I can play IPL next year. Three months of IPL is a little too much for me. It’s draining. This is one of the reasons why I’m awe-struck by seeing someone like MS Dhoni. As you grow older, the bandwidth to play IPL becomes lesser. Three months of cricket isn’t easy – you have to travel, play matches, let your body recover after the matches,” Ashwin said.

What’s next for Ashwin

In the video, Ashwin addressed reports of him heading towards The Hundred and SA20 that emerged following his retirement from IPL. Keeping the cards close to his chest, the Tamil Nadu spinner revealed that he has registered for a league but refused to divulge any further details. He said that he’s willing to play in global T20 leagues. Ashwin also said that he was open to taking up a coaching role in the future, but on his own terms.