Image: Why fans will miss Ravichandran Ashwin / © Business Standard
The year 2025 has been all about retirements, and another name that has been added to this list is Ravichandran Ashwin. He had already announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, and went back home from Australia midway through the series.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | BBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 221 | 187 | 30.22 | 7.20 | 4/34 |
Although he participated in the Indian Premier League 2025 edition, he played just 9 matches for the Chennai Super Kings. Fans were happy to see their childhood heroes (Jadeja, Dhoni, Ashwin) together in the team, and it was able to provide nostalgic moments to every cricket fan. Unfortunately, it was also the last time that fans witnessed them together on the field.
Ravichandran Ashwin, via his X account, announced his retirement today from the Indian Premier League. He not only retires with normal figures, but he retires as one of the finest off-spinners in IPL history, grabbing a total of 187 wickets in 221 matches at an average of 30.22 runs per wicket.
Through his announcement, Ashwin also revealed that he is starting a new chapter and will be participating in the overseas T20 leagues. Since his journey in the IPL has now officially come to an end, let’s relive some of his best moments throughout the Indian Premier League and how Ashwin brought down some unforgettable moments for the fans.
Ravichandran Ashwin received his main breakthrough in the Indian Premier League during his second season, which was the IPL 2010 edition. Playing for Chennai Super Kings, he played 12 matches and secured 13 wickets at an average of 22.53, all while maintaining his economy rate at 6.10 runs per over.
In the final match, it was an El Clásico for the fans, as the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings faced each other for the very first time at this grand stage. Fans also call it the stage when the rivalry between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings had really started.
This match was being played at the Dr DY Patil Stadium, and Chennai Super Kings batted first, scoring 168 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Mumbai Indians surely had a strong batting line-up, and to prevent runs in the powerplay, Ravichandran Ashwin was given the first over by the captain, MS Dhoni.
Ashwin started to show off his magic as he bowled a maiden over, giving trouble to Shikhar Dhawan and also the entire Mumbai Indians dugout. In the end, Ashwin was able to maintain his economy rate at just 6 runs per over, while all the other bowlers went with high rates. His economic spell played an important role in the Chennai Super Kings’ win in the final by 22 runs.
Taking a look at how Ashwin’s bowling of the first over was beneficial to the team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni used him as the primary bowler of the team, which set the tone for them throughout the season. Fortunately, it was the best season for Ravichandran Ashwin too, in his entire IPL career, as he took 20 wickets in 16 matches.
With Ashwin leading the team’s bowling attack, Chennai Super Kings once again reached the tournament finals, and to win consecutive titles, they had to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore. This match was being played in Chennai, so the home team decided to bat first and send RCB to chase.
RCB bowlers were bashed badly by the CSK openers, as the team ended up scoring 205 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Since RCB had a strong batting line-up with players such as Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, AB de Villiers, and many more, it could have been challenging for CSK to defend the title without Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin opened the innings with the massive wicket of Chris Gayle in the first over, dismissing him for a duck. After this, when Ashwin returned to bowl in the third over, he also went on to take the wicket of Mayank Agarwal, sending both RCB openers back to the dugout, pushing the match towards his team.
Later, Ashwin returned with the ball in the middle overs, as he took his third wicket in the form of Daniel Vettori’s wicket in the 11th over. He was able to finish his spell with an economy of just 4, as he conceded 16 runs in 4 overs and even took 3 crucial wickets. Chennai Super Kings won the match by 58 runs, and although Ashwin was not the POTM, his contributions with the ball made him an unsung hero for the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin was known to be a troublesome bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. He was one of the major reasons why the team missed out on winning its first IPL title in 2011, and the team once again reached close to the tournament finals in 2015.
But, they would have to defeat Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 2, and Ravichandran Ashwin stood as an obstacle. In the IPL 2015 season, Ashwin was not able to take wickets consistently for the team. He took just 10 wickets in 14 matches and maintained an economy rate below 6 this season.
The second Qualifier against RCB was being played at Ranchi, and the pitch favoured the bowlers more. Since RCB were batting first, Dhoni used Ashwin as one of his initial bowling options, which helped the team to a great extent. He bowled all 4 overs and conceded just 13 runs while also taking the wicket of Mandeep Singh.
His economic spell helped CSK restrict RCB to just 139 runs, and the team was able to chase down the target in the last over, making it to the finals. Although Chennai Super Kings lost the final match against Mumbai Indians, the performances of Ravichandran Ashwin against RCB showcased that he was a player for the big games.
Ravichandran Ashwin has not only been famous in the Indian Premier League due to his bowling skills or his inclusion with the Chennai Super Kings, but he has also been known by the fans for his famous send-offs. One of the best send-offs given by Ashwin, which will be remembered by the fans forever, came during the IPL 2014 Qualifier 2 match.
With Chennai Super Kings asserting dominance over all the other teams in this phase, it seemed quite easy for them to mark their spot in the playoffs. This time, the team went against Kings XI Punjab in the Second Qualifier for a spot in the finals to face Kolkata Knight Riders.
Punjab was sent to bat first in this game, and this decision was regretted by Chennai Super Kings immediately. Virender Sehwag went on to smash a century, as Kings XI Punjab ended up scoring 226 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. One of the best segments in this innings was the send-off given by Ravichandran Ashwin to Glenn Maxwell.
When Maxwell came against Ashwin, he smashed the ball hard for a six, which frustrated Ashwin, as he was already leaking runs in the game. But in the very next ball, he took the wicket of Maxwell, as Raina collected an easy catch at the boundary line. To make things more interesting, Ashwin picked some dirt from the pitch and gave a flying kiss to Glenn Maxwell as a send-off.
What all fans remember about Ravichandran Ashwin in his IPL career was the famous Mankad incident, when he dismissed Jos Buttler. This incident took place during the 2019 IPL season when Ashwin was the captain of Kings XI Punjab. In the 4th match, Punjab went to face Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Batting first, the team displayed some impressive performances, the team went on to score 184 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Chris Gayle and Sarfaraz Khan were the stars, and now it was the time for Ashwin and his company to defend this total and give a winning start to the new season.
With the bowl, Ashwin was able to take the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, but Jos Buttler seemed to be a crucial wicket for Punjab if they wanted to win. Ashwin noticed him stepping off the crease even before he released the ball. So, during a delivery, as soon as Buttler stepped off the crease, Ashwin mankaded him and appealed to the umpire for a wicket.
It was a complete shock for Jos Buttler, but he was given out after scoring 69 runs off 43 balls. This moment reminded various Indian fans about the Lagaan movie, where the British bowlers did a mankad to the Indian batsman, and now Ravichandran Ashwin helped to play an UNO reverse when he went against Buttler in the IPL.
After his incident against Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin became popular quickly all over the world for his mankad dismissal. It was clear to all the batsmen that not only is the striker unsafe when Ashwin is bowling, but it is also the non-striker who could lose his wicket if he is not aware of the crease.
In a match between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals in the same season, Ashwin was bowling as Shikhar Dhawan stood at the non-striker’s end. Dhawan, who is already popular among the fans for his hilarious moments on the field, was well aware that Ashwin is taking a look at whether he steps out of the crease or not.
At a particular moment, Ashwin also attempted to mankad Dhawan, but he was able to reach the crease within time. However, he soon started to taunt Ravichandran Ashwin by kneeling to the safety crease as Ashwin was about to bowl a delivery.
He even danced at the non-striker’s end when Ashwin was about to bowl a delivery, giving fans one of the funniest yet wholesome IPL moments. Even the commentators broke character watching Dhawan defend himself against the mankad by Ashwin. Later, Ashwin also revealed that he laughed a bit watching Dhawan at the non-striker’s end, preventing himself from being mankaded.