Ravichandran Ashwin was absent from the SA20 2026 player auction list announced today, despite earlier indications that the former India spinner, who retired from the IPL this year, was preparing to feature in overseas leagues.
Ashwin, who turns 39 in September, brought an end to his IPL career last week, a few months after retiring from international cricket during India’s tour of Australia. Over 16 IPL seasons, he represented five franchises - Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Rising Pune Supergiant and Rajasthan Royals, and finished with 187 wickets in 221 matches. He returned to play for CSK in 2025, but picked up seven wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 9.12, his most expensive season in the competition.
Given his retirement from Indian cricket, there was speculation that Ashwin would enter the SA20 2026 auction, with players who have retired from Indian cricket eligible to participate in overseas leagues.
However, his absence led to questions over whether the BCCI’s earlier one-year-long “cooling-off” requirement was still in place. The policy was proposed in 2023 and saw Ambati Rayudu pull out of the Major League Cricket after retiring from the IPL two months earlier. According to sources, player dissatisfaction prompted the board to withdraw the rule.
Wisden.com understands that Ashwin’s omission from the SA20 draft is not linked to any restrictions. The off-spinner has instead opted to place himself in the ILT20 auction pool, with the tournament scheduled around the same time as the SA20.
While South Africa’s league will begin on December 26, 2025 and run for a month, the ILT20 will start on January 11 next year. With nearly half of the tournament overlapping, Ashwin opted for the ILT20 auction instead.
If selected, Ashwin would become only the fourth Indian to feature in the ILT20, following Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Rayudu.
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