R Ashwin is one of the few players with whom Chennai Super Kings (CSK) persisted with in the early years of his career and his stint at CSK played a huge part in Ashwin doing wonders at the international level. Making his debut for the franchise in 2009, Ashwin went on to represent the team for seven seasons before CSK was banned for two years, in 2015.
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When the franchise made its return for IPL 2018, skipper MS Dhoni had said that they would try to get back R Ashwin. At the auction, CSK made early bidding for the star spinner but did not bid once his price touched Rs 4 Crore. Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were eager to get the player in their respective teams and in the end, KXIP had their way as they bought the player for Rs 7.6 Crore. It also meant that Ashwin would not play under Dhoni for the first time in his IPL career.
In a recent conversation with fans on social media, a user asked Ashwin when was he coming back in CSK? Ashwin gave a genuine reply to the fan and wrote that it wasn’t his choice.
Ashwin, who captain Kings XI Punjab for two seasons, had played under Dhoni until 2016 – including his stint at Rising Pune Supergiant. He missed IPL 2017, where Dhoni was replaced by Steven Smith as captain.
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During his stint at KXIP, Ashwin led the team to 12 wins from 28 matches. He was in line to be released once the team failed to make it to the playoffs, again. He could have been traded from KXIP months back but with Anil Kumble joining the backroom staff, the franchise decided to retain Ashwin.
However, Ashwin himself wanted to play on Delhi’s pitch, which assists spinners, and finally, KXIP announced that their captain was moving to Delhi Capitals. In exchange, they got Jagadeesha Suchith.
KL Rahul is likely to be named KXIP’s captain. He was bought by the franchise for Rs 11 Crore ahead of IPL 2018.