Ravichandran Ashwin goes unsold in ILT20 auction despite $120,000 base price
Ravichandran Ashwin goes unsold in the ILT20 auction but signs a historic deal with Sydney Thunder for BBL|15.
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Legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went unsold in the ILT20 Season 4 auction. After retiring from the Indian Premier League in August, Ashwin wanted to try his luck in overseas leagues and registered for the ILT20 auction. He set his base price at USD 120,000 (around INR 1.06 crore), but no franchise owners placed a bid when his name came up.
Ashwin has had a fantastic IPL career, playing 221 matches across five franchises and becoming the seventh most-capped player in the league. He won the IPL twice with Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011 and took 187 IPL wickets, which is the fifth highest in the tournament’s history. Overall, he has 317 wickets in 333 T20 games. In his last IPL auction, he was sold to Chennai Super Kings for a huge INR 9.75 crore.
Even though he went unsold in ILT20, Ashwin has already signed with Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash League (BBL) Season 15. He will be the first male player who has represented India to play in the BBL, making it a historic signing for the franchise.
Ashwin Joins Sydney Thunder for BBL|15
"Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin has created history, joining Sydney Thunder for BBL|15. The Thunder Nation will welcome the biggest overseas signing since the League's inception, with Ashwin set to become the first male player to have represented India to join a BBL club," the team said in a release.
Ashwin will join the Thunder line-up in early January and will help the team try to reach back-to-back BBL finals, after they lost to Hobart Hurricanes last season. The veteran spinner is excited about his new journey and praised the team’s leadership for being clear about his role.
"Thunder was crystal clear about how they would use me and brave enough to back it. My conversations with the leadership were excellent, and we are fully aligned on my role. I love how David Warner (the Sydney Thunder captain) plays the game, and it is always better when your leader shares your mindset. I cannot wait to perform for the Thunder Nation," said Ashwin.
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