Ravi Ashwin could join The Hundred next season: English media

After saying goodbye to the Indian Premier League (IPL), spin great Ravichandran Ashwin could be the biggest Indian catch for The Hundred tournament in England, with the media in that country claiming he is likely to turn out for one of the franchises next season.

In his retirement note on X, Ashwin said that now he will explore playing opportunities in leagues around the world.

“They say every ending will have a new start; my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today,” Ashwin posted on social media.

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“Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the wonderful memories and relationships over the years and most importantly the @IPL and the @BCCI for what they have given me until now. Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what’s ahead of me.”

Soon afterwards, reports emerged that the off-spinner could be seen in action in England next year with The Daily Telegraph saying it “understands that Ashwin would be eager to play in next season’s Hundred tournament.”

“Ashwin plans to play in several leagues around the world over the coming years, and has identified the Hundred as a competition in which he would be eager to appear,” the report stated.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik retired from Indian cricket and appeared for Paarl Royals in the last edition of the SA20 league. Getting top Indian names for their domestic competitions has been the aspiration of boards around the cricketing world to attract eyeballs, social media attention and advertisers, but BCCI doesn’t allow its players to turn out in leagues in direct competition with the IPL unless they retire from all forms of Indian cricket – international as well as domestic.

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After retiring from international cricket midway through the tour of Australia late last year, and from the IPL now, he has thrown his hat in the ring to attract other franchise leagues.

The speculation around Ashwin playing The Hundred could be fuelled by the fact that at least four of the eight franchises are wholly or partly owned by owners of IPL teams, with a fifth, London Spirit 49 percent-owned by Tech Titans, a Silicon valley consortium led by Nikesh Arora, the CEO of Palo Alto Networks. It includes other Indian-origin tech tycoons such as Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. That there’s a big Indian diaspora in Britain that the league would be keen to tap into goes without saying.

IPL giant

Ashwin began and ended his IPL career with his home franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), playing a key role in successive titles in 2010 and 2011. He also has two Champions League T20 crowns (2010 and 2014). He also turned out for Rising Pune Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. In 221 games since making his IPL debut in 2009, he managed 187 scalps, making him the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the league’s history, conceding only 7.20 runs an over in the batsman-friendly format.

In the 2025 season, the 38-year-old played nine games, getting seven wickets at an average of 40.43 and an economy of 9.13. Not playing regularly had prompted Ashwin to seek clarity on his role with the franchise.

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“Last season, I played only nine games; in all my years of playing in the IPL, that was the first year I played just nine games. I always used to play every game… so it was my first experience like that,” he had said on a podcast on his YouTube channel. “I asked for clarity from my side, but I asked for it during the IPL season itself.”

CSK acknowledged the contribution of one of their stalwarts.

“Chepauk’s own. The carrom-ball thiruppura-sundaran! From your first run-ups in Yellove on the dusty tracks of Anbuden to absolute spin domination in the world’s grandest arenas, you’ve given us everything,” the franchise posted on social media.

“You’ve pillared our legacy and made Fortress Chepauk roar like no other! You truly have the streets, Ashwin!”

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