New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Less than a year after a much talked about reunion with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), veteran off-spinner Ravichandran is likely to enter the mini auction ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after parting ways with the five-time championship winning side.

Sources tracking the development have confirmed to IANS on Friday that Ashwin is indeed moving on from CSK, a franchise who he represented from 2008-2015 and became a two-time IPL winner. “It’s all but certain that he will be released by CSK whenever retention dates are announced. He will be only entering the auction pool,” further said the sources.

In last year’s mega auction, Ashwin was picked by CSK for INR 9.75 crore, marking his return to his home franchise after turning out for Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Rajasthan Royals. In IPL 2025, where CSK had a bottom-place finish, Ashwin played nine games – picking only seven wickets at a high economy rate of 9.13 and was even left out of the starting eleven at one point due to his underwhelming returns.

Ashwin, who retired from international cricket after the Brisbane Test against Australia in last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, is also serving as the head of CSK’s High Performance Centre and the Super Kings Academy.

If he goes on to join another franchise, then he will have to give up on the dual posts due to conflict of interest ruling, though sources have said there’s been no clarity yet on this front. Presently, MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad – the former and current CSK skippers - are in Chennai to meet with franchise officials and set the roadmap for the upcoming season.

A veteran of 221 IPL matches, Ashwin has picked up 187 wickets at a tidy economy rate of 7.29. He has also scored 833 runs at a strike rate of 118 – which still makes him a valuable asset for franchises who would be seeking a highly experienced campaigner, apart from boosting their spin-bowling department.

--IANS

nr/