Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has gone unsold at the inaugural ILT20 2025 auction in Dubai, shocking cricket fans and experts worldwide.
Ashwin, who had recently retired from both international
cricket and the IPL, entered the UAE-based league's first-ever auction with a high base price of $120,000.
Despite the anticipation given his glittering resume - 187 IPL wickets, two IPL titles, over 300 T20 wickets, and rich experience as a tactician and leader, not a single franchise raised a bid in the opening round. The former India player retired from IPL recently, thus opening the doors for overseas franchise leagues for himself.
Nonetheless, Ashwin's unsold status in ILT20 does not signal an end to his franchise career, as the first male Indian international to join the BBL and likely to explore The Hundred in England. In the BBL, Sydney Thunders roped Ashwin in for a few matches in 2026 season.
Apart from that, the ILT20 opportunity is not over for Ashwin. The veteran can still be roped in by one franchise in the coming days.
How can Ravichandran Ashwin still play in ILT20?
Ravi Ashwin can still be signed in as a Wildcard by two franchises in the ILT20 season. MI Emirates and Desert Vipers are yet to pick their wildcard options, and if they want, Ashwin can be roped in ahead of the season. But for MI Emirates, Ashwin's signing would require discarding one player as they have already completed the full quota of 21 players.
Hence, Desert Vipers is the franchise who have a realistic opportunity to bring Ashwin to the ILT20. The Vipers are owned by the Glazer family, who also own English club Manchester United. And if Ashwin plays for Vipers, he would have a few Pakistani players as his teammates. In the auction, the Vipers were the only team to bid for Pakistan players, as they signed Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz and Naseem Shah.
