R Ashwin likely to part ways with Chennai Super Kings after returning to 'Yellow Army' in IPL 2025: Report

Ravichandran Ashwin’s celebrated return to the Chennai Super Kings after a decade might be limited to just one season, with the spin legend likely to part ways with the five-time champions in the build-up to the next season of the Indian Premier League.

While the exact reason for Ashwin’s departure from CSK is yet to be ascertained, the senior off-spinner is understood to have made up his mind and conveyed his decision to the franchise management, according to Cricbuzz.

Ashwin might have to quit non-playing role with CSK

Former CSK captain MS Dhoni, who remains an integral to the team despite having turned 44 last month, has been attending meetings in Chennai with current skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and top franchise officials, and it’s possible that Ashwin’s place in the squad will have been discussed among other topics.

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And should he be released into the player pool ahead of this year’s retention deadline – which is usually set for October or November, more than a month before the auction – then Ashwin might also have to quit as the Director of Operations at the CSK Academy, a position he has held for the past year. It could, after all, lead to a conflict of interest if Ashwin continues in the role while joining another franchise as a player.

Also Read | Fan tells Ashwin to leave CSK; former India legend’s reply will melt the Yellow Army’s hearts

Ashwin had been bought by CSK for Rs 9.75 crore at last year’s mega auction in Jeddah after being released into the player pool by Rajasthan Royals. He would go on to collect seven wickets in nine appearances in what turned out to be a disappointing season for CSK, who finished at the bottom of the table for the first time ever.

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Overall, Ashwin is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL with 187 wickets in 221 matches, which includes a best haul of 4/34. Ashwin wore CSK’s iconic yellow for a majority of his IPL career, for seven consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2015 and earlier this year.

The development comes a day after wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson had requested for a release from the Rajasthan Royals, a franchise he has represented since 2018 and captained since 2021 and was also part of from 2013 to 2015.

Not only did RR skipper Samson have a lean run with the bat this year and missed quite a few games due to injury, his relations with head coach Rahul Dravid also appears to have soured over the course of the season. Samson has since been linked to a possible move to CSK as their next wicketkeeper once Dhoni retires.

Both RR and CSK finished on 8 points at the end of a disappointing season, with the Royals avoiding the wooden spoon due to a superior Net Run Rate.