Finally, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has moved to his new Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Capitals (DC). The co-owner of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Ness Wadia, has confirmed this most-talked IPL move on Thursday (7th November).
After lots of talks, KXIP and DC have finalised this deal. In this trade window deal, KXIP have released their last two seasons’ captain Ravichandran Ashwin. Meanwhile, the media reports are claiming that the left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith or J Suchith is moving from DC to KXIP. According to PTI report, apart from these both side exchanges, DC is also offering to pay an additional amount of INR 1.5 crore to KXIP. However, the IPL Governing Council needs to ratify to implement these movements.
According to the reports, Ravichandran Ashwin will get the same salary which he earned for KXIP. In the 2018 IPL Auction, KXIP bought Ashwin for INR 7.6 crore.
Ashwin led the KXIP side in the last two seasons. Under his captaincy, KXIP won 12 matches out of 28 games while the team suffered defeats in other 16 IPL matches. Playing for KXIP, Ashwin took 25 wickets in 28 matches.
On Thursday, Ness Wadia claimed that everyone is happy with this deal. The KXIP co-owner has also sent best wishes to the off-spinner.
Wadia told PTI, “Everyone is happy with this deal. We are happy, Ashwin is happy and Delhi is happy. We were in talks with three teams but have finally come to this conclusion. We wish Ashwin the very best.”
Ravichandran Ashwin is the seventh most wicket-taker in IPL history
Delhi Capitals will be the fourth IPL team for Ravichandran Ashwin. Before KXIP bought him in 2018 IPL Auction, Ashwin played for Chennai Super Kings (2008-2015) and now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (2016-2017).
At present, Ravichandran Ashwin is the seventh most wicket-taker in IPL history. The off-spinner has taken 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches.
Ashwin is still the most T20 wicket-taker for CSK as he scalped 120 wickets in 121 T20s for this team. During his long tenure, CSK won two IPL trophies (2010 and 2011) and two now-defunct Champions League T20 trophies (2010 and 2014).
As Ashwin is ready to move to the Delhi franchise, KL Rahul is now the frontrunner to become the new KXIP captain. KXIP opening batsman Rahul was in the great form in the last two IPL seasons. Rahul was the third most run-scorer in IPL 2018 (659 runs) and second-most run-scorer in IPL 2019 (593 runs).
On the other hand, Jagadeesha Suchith is getting ready to enter the new team – KXIP. The 25-year-old left-arm spinner Suchith served in Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2015 and 2016 season.
Last year, after the 2019 IPL Auction, DC signed Suchith as the replacement of the injured pacer Harshal Patel. Suchith signed for DC in the last year for his base price INR 20 lakh.
Till the date, Suchith has played 15 IPL matches where he has bagged 12 wickets. In 2019 season, Suchith played only one game for DC and took two wickets in that game.