Kings XI Punjab’s captain R Ashwin is all set to leave the franchise for Delhi Capitals. As per a report in PTI, the deal between the two franchises is done and only an official announcement remains, which is expected to be made soon. A few months back, a report in Mumbai Mirror had suggested that Ashwin was set to move to Delhi but the deal was delayed due to some technical issues.
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With Anil Kumble joining the team as the Director of Cricket, the franchise change its mind and Ness Wadia, co-owner of the franchise, also confirmed the same.
The latest update comes as a big surprise and Ashwin’s departure form KXIP will also mean that they will have a new captain in the next season. KL Rahul, in all likeliness, will take over the role from his senior.
Ashwin was bought by KXIP for Rs 7.6 Crores in auction for IPL 2018. He was a surprise pick for the captaincy post. KXIP started their IPL 2018 campaign well and were also on the cusp of qualifying for the playoffs but their poor run in the second half of the tournament saw them miss out.
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In IPL 2019, KXIP finished at the sixth spot in the points table with six wins and eight defeats from 14 matches. Since then, there were speculations that KXIP might release Ashwin and now, he is all set to be traded to Delhi Capitals. The report does not mention the name of two players who will move to KXIP but both of them are expected to be international stars.
At Delhi, Ashwin will play under Shreyas Iyer, who took over the job in IPL 2018. Ashwin will team up with the likes of Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane and others at Delhi. His inclusion will also see other spinners get less chances Ashwin will lead the spin attack.
The IPL auction for the next season of the league takes place on December 19 in Kolkata and all the franchises are expected to announce traded and released players by November 14.