Ravichandran Ashwin’s plans to make his debut in the overseas league have suffered a major blow as a knee injury has ruled him out of the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 season. The veteran Indian off-spinner, who was set to represent Sydney Thunder, sustained the injury in Chennai and subsequently underwent knee surgery. As a result, Ashwin will not be able to participate in the upcoming edition of the Australian T20 league.

Ashwin was to have played the entire BBL 2025-26 season, which would have marked a historic moment as one of the few Indian cricketers to play in the league. His signing was regarded as a significant moment within the overseas competition of Indian players. His unfortunate injury has now meant he has withdrawn prior to the start of the season, disappointing fans and Sydney Thunder management alike.

The Sydney Thunder confirmed the news on their official channels, sending their best wishes to the Indian legend for a speedy recovery. “Sydney Thunder sends its best wishes to Ravichandran Ashwin as he recovers from surgery to his knee that has ruled him out of KFC BBL|15,” the club stated. The franchise also mentioned that Ashwin’s signing will continue to have a lasting impact across the Thunder Nation and that they are working with him on a revised schedule depending on his recovery progress.

Sydney Thunder and Ashwin React to the Unfortunate Setback

Sydney Thunder General Manager Trent Copeland expressed his disappointment, saying, “Everyone at Sydney Thunder was devastated to learn of Ash’s knee injury that has ruled him out of BBL|15, and we wish him well in his recovery. From the moment we first spoke with Ash, his commitment to Thunder was clear. We are hopeful of welcoming him into our dugout for part of BBL|15, introducing him to our fans at events and building a long-term relationship.”

 

 

 

 

 

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See Also: Former Australia player to join LSG in major role ahead of IPL 2026

Responding to the setback, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “I’m gutted to miss BBL|15. My focus now is recovery and coming back stronger. I’m grateful to the Thunder family and the fans for the warmth they’ve already shown me. Trent and the entire management made me feel part of the club from our very first conversation. If rehab and travel plans allow, I’d love to be around the group later in the season and meet the fans. Wishing both Thunder teams a big year.”

The former Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has lauded the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side for showing their love and respect to the past heroes by handing them the World Cup 2025 trophy, something which the men didn’t do. He praised the gesture of acknowledging, as it reflects the spirit and humility of true champions. 

After the end of the clash, the Blue Brigade let Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, and Jhulan Goswami lift the trophy. Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin found the moment incredibly good, besides adding that the victory was the years of struggle and resilience laid by a generation of women cricketers.

See Also: RCB star to lead India A in Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup 2025 in Doha

“I am actually taking my hat off to the Indian women's team. The Indian men’s team has never done something like this. We say it in front of the media, but I’ve never seen them give credit to the previous generation. They always talk like ‘my generation team is better than yours. Anjum Chopra was there; Mithali Raj was there to see them in delight.” Ashwin expressed in the YouTube video.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on India women’s side’s gesture of respect towards past heroes

Batting first, India posted 298/7 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to 87 by Shafali Verma, while Deepti Sharma notched up 58 runs at a strike rate of 100. Laura Wolvaardt smacked 101 in the chase but lacked support from the other end.

🚨🚨 Ravi Ashwin's salute to Indian women cricket team

"They gave the trophy to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami & dedicated this to previous generation superstars.

Indian men team has never done something like this, we say in front of media but I never seen they gave the credit to… pic.twitter.com/SUCKS5oeTj

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) November 3, 2025

“The victory that Indian women have achieved today has not been achieved today. It’s been a work of 25 years — probably three decades. What about your Diana Eduljis? What about your Sudha Shahs? What about your Anjum Chopras? What about your Jhulan Goswamis? Jhulan was there doing commentary yesterday. I’ve always said Jhulan Goswami is the Ishant Sharma or probably Zaheer Khan of women’s cricket.” The former spin all-rounder shed light.

“I am so sorry- the way they’ve been compared with men’s cricket is wrong. That’s conditioning. I want to change. All of you should change. Please don’t compare. This is a pure inspirational story. That’s why I find this women’s team amazing. After winning, you are on a real high — still, you remember to celebrate your previous generation of cricketers who were there in the dressing room.” Ashwin concluded.

The former Indian off-spin all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin, has praised the country’s left-handed aggressive opening batter, Abhishek Sharma, for his temperament during the second T20I of the five-match series against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). On his YouTube channel, Ashwin reflected on the southpaw’s natural flair. 

Abhishek Sharma has smashed 936 runs in 25 T20I innings at an average of 37.44 and a strike rate of 193.38 with the help of six fifties and two centuries at the best score of 135. In the first-class format, Sharma has clubbed 1071 runs in 37 innings with five fifties and one century.

See Also: BCCI issues massive injury update on Shreyas Iyer ahead of IND vs SA ODI series

“I truly believe, man, that the next batting superstar of India is Abhishek Sharma. See, he doesn’t have a problem exactly, not a problem, but a challenge. His challenge is to be able to control that downswing. I was reading somewhere that he still talks to Brian Lara because Lara had a huge backlit. His bat swing was magnificent too, so Abhishek spoke to Lara about controlling that bat swing to be able to play Test cricket.” Ashwin expressed on his YouTube channel.

Ravichandran Ashwin echoes voice for Abhishek Sharma’s Test selection in India 

In the MCG T20I against Australia, Abhishek slammed 68 runs in 37 balls at a strike rate of 183.78, smashing eight boundaries and two over boundaries. He was the biggest reason for the Blue Brigade to cross the 100-run mark despite losing five wickets inside the first eight overs.

“Even that day in Canberra, when the match was washed out, he was talking to Shubman Gill. From his gestures, it looked like he was talking about the bat swing and the pull shot. I even have a screenshot from the last game; he was a bit late on the pull shot then. But in this game, he made that correction. He found a way to get it over the top.” Ashwin addressed the video.

“He actually stepped out today, charged down the track, and Australia bowled really well too. They were bowling tight lines, fuller lengths, taking the pace off. But that full ball, especially when you charge at a fast bowler and they try to bowl a yorker, you don’t have the width to free your arms.” The former Tamil Nadu player concluded.

The former Indian spin all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin, shared a funny interaction with an Indian fan who turned up in Australian jersey and interacted with the spinner when he was shooting a video after the end of the third and final ODI of the three-match series against Australia at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). 

A video has gone viral on social media in which Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out a fan who was standing in front of their screen. He funnily asked the individual to share a few insights before leaving the camera. By the time the person was leaving, Ashwin commented by wondering why the individual was wearing an Australian jersey despite being an Indian.

See Also: “Lock him up…”- Sunil Gavaskar reacts to two Australian women players facing harassment in Women’s World Cup 2025

The visitors were forced to field first on a solid surface in Sydney. Their top four batters made a remarkable contribution. The only issue for them was not to convert their starts into big scores as Matt Renshaw smashed 56 runs in 58 balls with the help of two boundaries, while the other batters also crossed the 25-run mark.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin shares funny interaction with Indian fan in Sydney goes viral

Harshit Rana was excellent with his match figures of 4/39 in 8.4 overs at an economy rate of 4.50, while Washington Sundar picked up two wickets. The remaining four wickets went to Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel.

 

 

 

 

 

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In reply, India made a great start with the bat during the chase. The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set the platform with a 69-run opening stand. The latter cracked 24 runs in 26 balls while Rohit remained unbeaten on 121 runs in 125 balls, thanks to 13 boundaries and three sixes at a strike rate of 96. Virat Kohli, at number three, notched up 74 runs in 81 balls at a strike rate of 91.36.

The Blue Brigade lost the opening clash by seven wickets at the Optus Stadium in Perth when the hosts chased down 131 runs by seven wickets in 21.1 overs. In the second fixture at the Adelaide Oval, the Mitchell Marsh-led side chased down 265 runs by two wickets in 46.2 overs.

Even after retirement, respect for former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is unmatchable. For cricket fans across the globe, he is a legend. In a recent video, we can see how an Australian cricket fan reacted after seeing Ravichandran Ashwin in a live chat session. 

After retirement from international cricket, Ashwin is now playing as a cricket expert. He has his own YouTube channel and takes part in other conversations as a guest as well. During the three-match ODI series between Australia and India (AUS vs IND ODI), Ashwin made multiple accurate predictions. 

After the Australia vs India 3rd ODI match, Ashwin was in a live chat session with Vimal Kumar. During their conversation, an Australian cricket fan interrupted the session and, by gesture, pointed out the 2-1 scoreline. The fan was not aware who was in the chat on the opposite side. As soon as he saw Ashwin, the Aussie fan left stunned and immediately checked his body language. To show some respect to the former Indian cricketer, he greeted Ashwin according to the Indian culture and then left the place. 

Read More: Harry Brook rescues England to celebrate new record in 50 years during 1st ODI vs New Zealand

An Australian cricket fan stunned to see R Ashwin in a live chat session

 

 

 

 

 

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Team India won the last match of the ODI series at the Sydney Cricket Ground with ease, thanks to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. With a century from Sharma and a fifty-plus run knock from Kohli, India secured their win in their prestige fight. Before the third match, the series was already captured by the home team. They won the first and second matches of the competition to clinch the ODI series. 

India is currently in Australia for an 8-match white ball tour. After a 3-match ODI series, the Men in Blue will face the Australia cricket team for a 5-match T20I series title. Rohit and Virat will return to their homes, as they have already retired from the format. Before that, they left their mark on the tour. 

Ex-India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recommends including Kuldeep Yadav in India’s final ODI lineup against Australia in Sydney. Ashwin emphasized that Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist-spin offers a distinct advantage that could trouble Australian batters.

Kuldeep has been absent from the first two matches of the series, during which India suffered back-to-back defeats. These losses handed Australia a 2-0 lead and ensured they clinched the three-match ODI series even before the final game.

Ashwin believes that including Kuldeep in the last game could add variety to India’s bowling attack and potentially give the team a chance to end the series on a high note, providing valuable exposure to the young spinner in challenging conditions.

See Also: [WATCH] Indian players take Uber in Australia; cab driver’s wholesome reaction wins hearts

Ravichandran Ashwin on Kuldeep Yadav’s Presence in Playing 11:

On his YouTube show ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ravichandran Ashwin detailed how Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion might have strengthened India’s bowling attack, highlighting the unique challenges the left-arm wrist-spinner poses for opposition batters and why he could have impacted the series outcome.

R Ashwin said, “ Axar Patel and Washington Sundar both took wickets, so we can’t fault their efforts. But the key is taking wickets. Look at Adam Zampa—he took four wickets, and his ball spins too. Think about it, has Cooper Connolly ever faced Kuldeep? Matthew Short, maybe here and there. Alex Carey has faced him but struggled. Mitchell Owen hasn’t played against him at all.”

He further said, “ This Australian batting lineup hasn’t seen Kuldeep before. Historically, everyone who faces him early on struggles. So leaving him out isn’t the wisest call. I hope he gets a game in Sydney. Harshit Rana has contributed with both bat and ball, but Kuldeep offers something extra—he’s a proven wicket-taker.”

India faces a final opportunity to prevent a series sweep in Sydney on Saturday. In Adelaide, India scored 264/9, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s 73 off 97 balls and Shreyas Iyer’s 61, but Australia’s Adam Zampa (4/60) and Xavier Bartlett (3 wickets, including Kohli’s duck) dominated the bowling.

Australia easily chased India’s 264-run target, finishing with over three overs remaining. Cooper Connolly led the innings with an unbeaten 61 from 53 balls, hitting five fours and a six, while Matt Short added a fluent fifty to guide the chase.

With the series already lost, India aims to restore some pride in the final ODI. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin’s comments have sparked discussion about Kuldeep Yadav’s absence, emphasizing how the left-arm wrist-spinner could have added variety and strengthened India’s bowling attack in the series, potentially altering the outcome of earlier matches.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed disappointment over Sarfaraz Khan being left out of India’s Test squad for the upcoming home series against South Africa. The right-handed batter, who has been performing consistently in domestic cricket and has worked on his fitness, was surprisingly omitted when the squad was announced.

Speaking on his show Ash ki Baat, Ashwin said, “I cannot find an answer to Sarfaraz Khan’s non-selection. I am very sad and sorry for him. He has reduced his weight, has scored runs. I really feel sorry for him. This sort of non-selection leads him to think that he has been seen enough and is not wanted. Where will he perform? The doors have been shut.”

The spin legend also highlighted broader concerns regarding India’s selection policy. He pointed out how Sai Sudharsan, who has had a stellar IPL season, was picked ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran, despite Easwaran’s strong performances in first-class cricket. Susharsan scored 759 runs in IPL 2025 and has already played five Tests, whereas Easwaran has amassed 8,025 runs with 27 hundreds in 106 first-class matches, yet is still waiting for his Test debut.

Ashwin highlights IPL vs domestic dilemma, advises Easwaran to use T20s for India call-up

“IPL has a lot of advantages and disadvantages. See the case of Sai Sudharsan. A fabulous player, but how did he leapfrog Abhimanyu Easwaran? Performance in a tournament for 2-3 months has overshadowed the performance Easwaran has put in over the first-class season. Rewarding domestic performers is always up to the selectors. This is happening only because that player has done well in the IPL,” Ashwin said.

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Building on this, Ashwin advised Easwaran to consider T20 cricket as a route to India selection. “If I was Easwaran, I would tell him to somehow find a way to play the T20 format and score 400 runs in an IPL season so that he can also come in. It is a sad state. Some stalwarts of red-ball cricket do not get enough recognition,” he added.

Easwaran, a right-handed batter, has played 34 T20s, scoring 976 runs at an average of 37.53 with a strike rate of 128.59, including one century and five half-centuries. However, he last featured in T20 cricket in 2023 and has not played in the IPL since then, focusing mainly on List-A and first-class formats.

Ashwin’s comments have sparked debate over balancing domestic cricket performance with IPL success when selecting players for India’s red-ball squad.

Recently, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin unmasked a fraudster pretending to be Australian cricketer Adam Zampa, who attempted to deceive Ashwin into giving him contact numbers of Indian players. This again highlights the impersonation attempts that cricketers often face online because of the global popularity and following that cricketers have. Ashwin, who is famous for his sarcasm both in and outside the cricket field, tackled the situation intelligently and even posted screenshots of the funny conversation on his Instagram page.

The impersonator, who claimed to be Adam Zampa, had called Ashwin on WhatsApp and asked for phone numbers of players like Abhishek Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Shivam Dube. Ashwin simply played along, feigning consent before turning the tables on the imposter. Sharing the exchange, he captioned his Instagram story: “Fake Adam Zampa tries to strike.” Fans were amused by his calm and humorous response to the scam attempt.

Interestingly, when the impersonator insisted he already had MS Dhoni’s number, Ashwin asked him to share it instead, which left the fake Zampa speechless. Fans applauded Ashwin's quick thinking and sense of humor regarding the online scammers.

Ashwin Reveals Previous Impersonation Incident and Defends Harshit Rana

This isn’t the first time Ashwin has dealt with impostors. He recalled a past encounter where someone pretended to be his former Chennai Super Kings teammate Devon Conway and asked for Virat Kohli’s phone number. Realizing it was fake, Ashwin immediately blocked the person.

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/vPPSeqrvbz

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) October 19, 2025

See Also: [WATCH] Ravichandran Ashwin slams Gautam Gambhir for Kuldeep Yadav's omission from AUS vs IND 1st ODI

Recently, Ashwin also defended young pacer Harshit Rana after his poor outing against Australia in the first ODI. He urged fans not to make personal attacks on players, saying, “We can criticize their cricketing skills, but it shouldn’t get personal. It may be funny once or twice, but it shouldn’t be a running theme.” His mature response reinforced his image as one of Indian cricket’s most respected voices on and off the field.

The former Indian spin all-rounder, Ravichandran Ashwin, has questioned the management’s selection procedure for the opening ODI of the three-match series against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. They decided to leave out the left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, from the playing eleven to keep two spin all-rounders- Washington Sundar and Axar Patel- in the eleven.

Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, exposed head coach Gautam Gambhir and co. for the team selection. He wondered how many all-rounder they would want in the eleven that they took their focus from the bowling attack.

See Also: [WATCH] Mitchell Marsh’s six ends in cheeky crowd catch during AUS vs IND 1st ODI as hilarious video goes viral

“I can understand why two spinners are playing in the team, along with Nitish Reddy. They want that batting depth, because Axar and Washington can bat, but bowling ke upar bhi thoda dhyan dedo yaar (concentrate on bowling as well). In these big grounds, if Kuldeep can’t bowl with a lot of freedom, then where will he play? And there will be overspin, which will get him more bounce.” Ashwin expressed on his YouTube channel.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin exposes Gautam Gambhir’s decision to omit Kuldeep Yadav in AUS vs IND Perth ODI

India were restricted to 136/9 in their 26 overs under tough conditions amid several rain breaks as their top order failed terribly. Axar and Sundar, with the ball, combined to finish with figures of 2/33 in six overs at an economy rate of 5.50.

🚨Ravi Ashwin thrashed Gautam Gambhir for dropping Kuldeep Yadav & playing too many all rounders.

"Please focus on bowling too, if Kuldeep can't bowl on these big grounds with freedom then where is he gonna bowl? They will talk about this batting depth but it is batter's job to… pic.twitter.com/C4Uphr4Ed6

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) October 19, 2025

“See, I understand that they will talk about this batting depth, but if that is going to help you win games, then batters should be able to take the responsibility. If they are playing extra batters, then they are again shielding the batting line-up. I will always say, play your best bowlers.” The Chennai-born addressed.  

“Don’t pick a player only because you want to extend your batting. Kitne all-rounders chaiye aapko (How many all-rounders do you want)? You already have three. Even after having Nitish in the side, if you can’t play your best bowlers, then I can’t get it at all.” Ashwin concluded in the same YouTube video.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth has dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin’s criticism of his remark about Harshit Rana regularly being picked in India squads. In a clip on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth’s son Anirudh said Ashwin’s comments were a bit unfair and hypocritical.

Srikkanth had said that Rana is always a yes-man to India head coach Gautam Gambhir and is the only permanent member of the squad. Gambhir did not take any names but called the criticism “shameful.” Ashwin also defended Rana. Like Gambhir, he avoided naming anyone and said personal attacks could hurt a player’s confidence.

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Anirudh Responds to Ashwin

“I just want to ask, ‘Ashwin, why bro? What did we do to you?’” Anirudh said. “It seemed a bit unfair. A couple of years ago, when you (Ashwin) mocked the entire RCB bowling attack, we laughed along. Didn’t you know they have a family too?”

“It just seems a bit hypocritical. Anyway, you and I will not dwell on that. Everybody has their opinion. That is the beauty of it. To the viewers, on this channel, you will get a strong and biased opinion. No changes there,” he added.

Though Cheeka is biased ,any day Cheeka >>>>Ashwin.Pdogg now will be planning to attack Anirudha in the next video with Ashwin . pic.twitter.com/TtCb3AjeIg

— Sakthi (@SakthiJ0801) October 18, 2025

Srikkanth’s Fearless Style

Anirudh said Srikkanth has always spoken his mind without fear, reminding Ashwin how the 1983 World Cup winner smoked a cigarette at the famous Lord’s balcony.

“Chika (Srikkanth) has been like that since 1983. He hasn’t been scared of anyone. I’m not expecting Chika to change. Sometimes it is borderline cringe, I know. But we try to keep father-son banter normal as possible. Thanks to all the viewers for the support,” Anirudh added.