R Ashwin is part of the first-ever ILT20 2026 auction |Courtesy – BCCI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- R Ashwin is part of the 2026 ILT20 Auction
- Ashwin retired from IPL earlier this year
- Ashwin bid adieu to international cricket last year
The 2026 International League T20 (ILT20) Auction saw a surprising act in the early minutes as Ravichandran Ashwin went unsold despite being the headline player in the list of around 300 players going under the hammer. Ashwin was the only player with a base price of $120000 (Rs.1.06 crores), a move that backfired.
However, Ashwin still has the chance to play the league as he can go under the hammer once again in the later parts of the auction.
For those unversed, this is the first time that the ILT20 is seeing a player auction as before the first three seasons had seen a draft system.
While Ashwin is the only player with a base price of USD 120,000, the others have registered for USD 80,000, USD 40,000, and USD 10,000 (Rs. 71 Lakhs, Rs. 35.5 Lakhs, Rs. 8.8 Lakhs approx).
R Ashwin Takes New Career Plunge
Talking about Ashwin, he decided to retire from the IPL in August after playing the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he had returned to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after a decade. Ashwin quit international cricket in December last year during India’s tour of Australia.
This has made Ashwin eligible to play overseas T20 leagues, which he made clear was his intention. The star spinner has already been signed by the Sydney Thunders and will play the Big Bash League (BBL) later this year. The off-spinner will become the first capped male Indian player to play in Australia’s top franchise cricket league.
As far as the ILT20 is concerned, the 2025-26 season will see Dinesh Karthik and Piyush Chawla in action, who have signed for Sharjah Warriors and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Previously, three Indians namely Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, and Ambati Rayudu have played the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based league in the past.