Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday (August 27), and now he is reportedly getting ready to participate in foreign cricket leagues.  

Ravichandran Ashwin: 5th leading wicket-taker in IPL

On Wednesday, the 38-year-old Ashwin surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from the IPL through his social media post. He finished his IPL career as the fifth leading wicket-taker with 187 wickets in 221 IPL matches. He served for five IPL teams, and these were Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Kings XI Punjab (presently known as Punjab Kings), Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals. While the right-handed batter also scored 833 IPL runs, including one half-century, he finished as one of the five players in IPL history with 750+ runs and 150+ wickets. 

Serving for CSK, Ashwin picked up 127 wickets in 130 T20 matches, and finished as the third leading T20 wicket-taker for the team. He ended his IPL career serving for CSK, where he made a comeback for the team last season and picked up seven wickets in nine games in the IPL 2025. 

Due to the strict BCCI policy, the active Indian male domestic cricketers can't participate in the overseas franchise leagues. While we have seen former Indian cricketers play special cricket leagues, generally run with former cricketers, Dinesh Karthik featured in the last SA20, where he served for Paarl Royals. Recently, another former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawla, the joint third leading IPL wicket-taker (192 wickets), registered his name in the upcoming SA20 auction.  

See Also: Three important reasons why Ravichandran Ashwin’s IPL retirement could be a mistake

R Ashwin in The Hundred

According to Telegraph Sport, Ashwin is eyeing participation in the Hundred 2026. If he gets selected, he can be the first Indian to feature in this special T20 cricket. Ashwin previously experienced English domestic cricket for Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Surrey. As the IPL owners have also entered The Hundred ownerships, the expectation of Ashwin in the next Hundred season isn't very unnatural.