Within one year of their reunion, R Ashwin and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could part ways ahead of next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), The Indian Express understands.
It is learned that the former India all-rounder has gained interest from a couple of franchises and has had talks with CSK over his future as a player. But what is adding to the intrigue is the fact that Ashwin is currently also serving as the head of CSK’s High Performance Centre and Super Kings Academy.
In case Ashwin joins another franchise, there is room for conflict of interest and given the complexities involved it would be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks. Ashwin is keen on avoiding such a scenario and is understood to be in talks with CSK, who still seem keen on having his services at the franchise.
When CSK brought him back the fold for their ambitious High Performance Centre, it was evident that they would also acquire him at the auctions that followed. The franchise then spent Rs 9.75 crore at the auction to reunite him with Ravindra Jadeja.
Ever since Chennai Super Kings showed interest in bringing Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin’s name has been involved in discussions as part of a potential trade-off along with Shivam Dube. But Chennai have been keen on only an all-cash deal and have showed no interest to let go of Ashwin as part of any trade deal.
A veteran of 106 Tests, Ashwin enjoys a close relationship with N Srinivasan, who holds a majority stake in the franchise. And their relationship was one of the key reasons why Ashwin reunited with CSK ahead of the last season. Unlike Samson, whose relationship with Rajasthan has suffered in recent months, Ashwin enjoys a good rapport with the franchise officials.
Personally and professionally, there are plenty of connecting factors. The ultimate say in the matter now is solely with Chennai Super Kings, who have already set the ball rolling ahead of next season. MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been in Chennai, meeting with the franchise officials to plan for the next season. Potentially, the only way out for Ashwin would be that he has to part ways with the CSK High Performance Centre, but as things stand there is no clarity on this.
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After making his IPL debut with the franchise in 2009, Ashwin became an integral member of the squad that made three successive finals between 2010 and 2012, where Chennai won back-to-back titles. He stayed with the franchise till 2015 before it was suspended.
And after spells with Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin returned to CSK fold ahead of last season. In what turned out to be an underwhelming campaign for the franchise, Ashwin was even dropped from the playing squad. Having played only 9 matches in IPL 2025, Ashwin picked up 7 wickets at an average of 40.43 but more worryingly, conceded at 9.13 runs per over through the season. Compared to his IPL career economy rate of 7.20, this was Ashwin’s most expensive outing in his IPL career. He wasn’t too effective with the bat either, scoring just 33 runs with a highest score of 13.
Ashwin, who announced retirement from international cricket during the Australia tour, is most likely to turn out for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s.
