The year was 2008 when on the very first auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a young off-spinner from Tamil Nadu named Ravichandran Ashwin was signing his contract for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Once it was completed, VB Chandrasekhar advised me of how incredible that opportunity would go on to be.
A young Ravichandran Ashwin, after all, was going to rub shoulders with some of the iconic veterans of the game in the form of Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Matthew Hayden. The Chennai-born not only listened to the advice but decided to carry himself to the same level.
The off-spinner, towards the start of the year, shook hands with the Indian cement, and that was the sign of him returning to their den. Having crafted himself as one of the pinch hitters in the game with incredible big shots and bowling his four overs at a low economy on the slow and low surfaces of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the all-rounder will be a vital member of the side.
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The auction dynamics can change in the split of a second, but the opening bid of INR 2 crore for Ravichandran Ashwin from the CSK franchise confirmed their immense desire to go for the player. They fought with the Lucknow Super Giants for the first eight bids before overtaking RCB.
Ravichandran Ashwin charged up to back playing before Chennai fans
Rajasthan Royals, who had benefitted in the middle overs for the last seasons with the inclusion of the spinner, joined the bidding war and stayed there till INR 9.50 before the five-time champions signed the player for IR 25 lakh more.
Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up 180 IPL scalps in 208 innings at an average of under 30 and an economy rate of just over seven. When it comes to his contribution to the Super Kings, the off-spinner grabbed 120 wickets in 118 innings of the IPL at an economy rate of 6.66, being part of them for seven seasons till 2015.
The franchise shared a video of the player on their official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle, where the latter thanked the management for picking him up.
“They say life is a circle. From 2008 till 2015, I wore the yellow jersey and played for CSK, and I am always indebted to them. Whatever I learned at CSK has helped me hugely in my international cricket journey as well as today. It’s almost ten years since I last played for CSK, 2016 was my last season with them. I don’t know how to express it; I was picked by CSK again in the auction.” Ravichandran Ashwin revealed in the special video.
The return of the spinner means his return to the potential partnership with MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the current leader of the side, will have the luxury of using Ashwin in the middle overs.
“Words like homecoming, price, etc. are there, but something very nostalgic for me is the fact that CSK fought for me in the same way that they fought for me way back in the 2011 IPL auction. It was a trip down memory lane for me. It’s a very special feeling.” The 38-year-old added.
“I have seen a lot about our ‘Anbuden’ fans on social media for the last ten years. When I used to play for RR, I used to feel bad that I was playing against CSK fans. They won’t shout whether I am bowling or batting. I am glad to be back, to play alongside MS Dhoni, and of course to play under Ruturaj Gaikwad. Thank you once again.” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.