Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is back in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts on Saturday, but in a completely new role, that of a commentator. Ashwin, who played his first seven seasons with CSK, went to Punjab Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals before returning to CSK in 2025.
The veteran spinner announced his retirement from the IPL in August last year. In the list of commentators announced by the host broadcasters, Ashwin was named in the Hindi category, along with others like Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Sunil Gavaskar.
Among retired Indian cricketers, Ashwin has a strong social media presence, including 1.83 million subscribers on YouTube alone, providing expert views on the game. Ashwin doesn’t just go for expert opinions, he goes deep in analyzing the team of individual players. Overall, IPL 2026 will be telecast and live streamed in 12 languages.
How has Ravichandran Ashwin fared in the IPL?
Ashwin made his IPL debut in 2009 and went on to play 221 matches for five different teams, taking 187 wickets. The right-arm spinner was part of CSK’s IPL-winning teams in 2010 and 2011, playing a key role with 13 and 20 wickets respectively.
The highlight of Ashwin’s IPL career was the 2011 edition, where he finished among the top five bowlers. In that year’s final, Ashwin took three wickets for just 16 runs in his four overs to lead CSK to a 58-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chidambaram Stadium.
Apart from the 2011 edition, Ashwin excelled with 15 wickets in 2013 (for CSK) and 2019 (Punjab Kings). In the 2023 edition, Ashwin scalped 14 wickets for Rajasthan Royals. With the bat, Ashwin has scored 833 runs in the IPL.
He ended it on 27 August 2025 after ending his career as the fifth highest wicket-taker in the IPL. “A special day and hence a special beginning. They say every end will have a new beginning, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to an end today but my time as an explorer of the game in various leagues begins today,” Ashwin wrote on social media.
When will IPL 2026 start?
The 19th edition of the IPL begins on Saturday when defending champions RCB take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. CSK will start their campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30.
