R Ashwin set to play latter stages of BBL 2025-26
What's the story
Ravichandran Ashwin, India's spin wizard, is in talks with four Big Bash League (BBL) franchises, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, and Adelaide Strikers are all vying for his services for the latter stages of the upcoming season. If a deal is finalized this week as expected, Ashwin would become the first internationally capped male Indian player to feature in Australia's premier T20 league.
Career shift
Ashwin's international retirement opens doors for overseas T20 leagues
Ashwin's retirement from Indian cricket has opened up opportunities for him to play franchise cricket abroad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) only permits retired Indian players to participate in foreign T20 leagues. Earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik played for Paarl Royals in SA20 while Ambati Rayudu played in the CPL and ILT20, and Robin Uthappa played in the ILT20.
Upcoming events
Ashwin's commitments to other T20 leagues
Ashwin has already committed to the ILT20 auction in UAE, scheduled for next Tuesday. If picked, he will play out the ILT20 which will now run from December 2 to January 4. The BBL season starts on December 14 with home-and-away matches until January 18 and finals between January 20-25. This means Ashwin could be available for three-four games at the end of this season, plus finals if his team qualifies.
League regulations
Replacement player rules for BBL clubs
BBL clubs can field three overseas players in their XI. Each of the four franchises has already signed three players through pre-signing rules and an overseas draft held in June. They can sign up to four additional replacement players, making a total of seven on their list but only three playing at any one time. If any team releases an international player for SA20, Ashwin could step in as a replacement.
Contract details
Salary cap considerations for BBL teams
The club that signs Ashwin will have to fit his salary within their overall budget, most of which would already be allocated for other players. However, there could be an additional marketing agreement with Cricket Australia that won't count toward the salary cap for the team that signs him. Teams can also exceed the cap by 5% in a given year with approval from the league's technical committee, provided it is offset over a three-year period.
IPL
Fifth-most wickets in IPL history
Ashwin shocked the cricket world by announcing his IPL retirement a few months back. In a stellar career, Ashwin took 187 wickets from 221 matches at 30.22 (BBM: 4/34). He has the fifth-most wickets in IPL history, behind Yuzvendra Chahal (221), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (198), Sunil Narine (192), and Piyush Chawla (192). Overall, Ashwin boasts 317 T20 wickets at 26.94.