Ravi Ashwin, explorer of the game, takes his bow after a colourful IPL run

The news of Ravi Ashwin announcing his retirement as a player from IPL on 27 August, Wednesday, may evoke some sarcasm now — in contrast to the genuine surprise evoked by his international retirement midway through the Australia tour. After all, he has called time on his career in the Indian shirt already, and if the 2025 season was anything to go by, Ashwin did look jaded and ineffective on his return to the Chennai Super Kings colours.

As the five-time champions are seeking desperately to rebuild from a 10th-place finish, it has gradually become clear that the CSK management would like to let this 38-year-old go — he has certainly proved a poor return on their investment, with his Rs 9.75 crore price tag, claiming only seven wickets from the nine matches he played.

Ashwin, always his own man, also gave enough indication that his chemistry with the franchise he began his IPL career with has gone sour, noting on his YouTube channel publicly that CSK had overpaid Dewald Brevis’ agent to sign him up mid-season.

“They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as explorer of the game around various leagues begins today,’’ Ashwin wrote on his X handle.

He also called it a “special beginning” rather than an end.

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🤓.

Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the…

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 27, 2025

It’s a move ever so typical of Ashwin, for the BCCI rules certainly don’t clear him for exploring the horizon of burgeoning franchise leagues across the world — be it The Hundred in England, the SA T20 or the IL-T20, all of which have substantial investment from IPL franchise owners, or the Big Bash, for that matter.

The opportunities for someone like him are limitless, however — though one would not like him to join the Masters League bandwagon so soon.

There are still a couple of seasons of franchise cricket left in him, surely, for he can serve as a part of the think tank of any team that he joins, use the rare skill of bowling in the power play to stem the flow of runs, experiment with trying to turn the ball both ways, and can, of course, be a floater in the batting line-up.

Looking back on his career in retrospect, one would almost find it hard to believe that he started to make his mark via the IPL path to make it into the 2011 World Cup-winning squad in a space of just two years.

For all his achievements in international cricket, his footprint in the cash-rich league over 16 seasons has been remarkable: five franchises; fifth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the League, with 187 wickets; and the man with a record of bowling the third-highest number of dot balls in a format known as the killing field for bowlers.

Ashwin: May not be the greatest Indian spinner, but certainly most effective

Well, it’s not always number-crunching that can best assess the contribution of the likes of an Ashwin in the League.

‘The Scientist’, as he was known in the Indian dressing room, caused enough controversy in the IPL with a number of pathbreaking moves — albeit just within the lines of ‘the law’.

Remember the ‘Mankading’ out of Jos Buttler of the Rajasthan Royals during his stint as the Punjab Kings captain, when the England batter was backing up too far down as the non-striker in 2019? Or the time he chose to ‘retire’ while batting for the Royals in 2022, just as his team needed someone with a more explosive strike rate?

Who knows what’s in store from him in the coming years, then — unless Ashwin falls back into the comfort zone of TV pundit (a job he will certainly excel in). Or he might branch out and become an entrepreneur owning a team in the World Chess League!

With Ashwin, you never can tell!