Ravichandran Ashwin’s exploration T20 hits the BUMP water, India Legend Invend à ILT20 auction

Ravichandran Ashwin’s start to life as a T20 freelancer has hit a snag. The Indian legend went unsold at the ILT20 Auction 2025 in Dubai on Wednesday. Ashwin had the highest base price and was expected to fetch a contract, but has now gone unsold in quite a shock.

Ashwin goes unsold in ILT20 despite BBL sacrifice

Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest profile player in the ILT20 Auction, having recently announced his retirement from IPL. The former Chennai Super Kings star entered the auction at a base price of USD 120,000, the highest among all shortlisted players. However, come the bidding table, none of the 6 franchises raised their paddle to secure his services.

This comes after Ashwin confirmed his entire availability for the tournament. The 38-year-old planned to feature for the ILT20 and then join up for the Big Bash League. His contract with Sydney Thunder sees him join the franchise after the UAE tournament, featuring only in 4 league games.

Did Ashwin’s base price deter franchises? While there could be an argument, it seems unlikely to be the case. The likes of Scott Currie, Andre Fletcher, Dwaine Pretorius, Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Rohid all went in excess of Ashwin’s base price. Furthermore, each of the 6 franchises had excess budget to spare post auction, again debunking the Ashwin’s ‘high base price’ theory.