Ravichandran Ashwin will be available for the last three or four games of the season, as well as the finals if his team qualifies.
Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to become the first Indian male player with international experience to play in the Big Bash League. Four teams are competing to sign him for the final part of the upcoming season.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers, and Adelaide Strikers are all interested in Ashwin, with Thunder and Hurricanes leading the race. A deal could be completed later this week.
No Indian male player with international caps has played in the Big Bash League before, but Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL earlier this year allows him to play franchise cricket overseas for the first time.
The BCCI allows only retired Indian players to participate in overseas T20 leagues. Earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik played for Paarl Royals in the SA20.
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Ashwin has already committed to the first ILT20 auction in the UAE, set for next Tuesday. If selected, he will play the full ILT20 season, which has been rescheduled to run from December 2 to January 4.
The BBL starts on December 14, with the home-and-away games running until January 18 and the finals scheduled between January 20 and 25. This means Ashwin will be available for the last three or four games of the season, as well as the finals if his team qualifies. His deal is also expected to include the BBL 2026-27 season.
The team that signs Ashwin will need to include his pay within their total budget, which is mostly already spent for most squads. However, there may be a separate marketing deal with Cricket Australia that will not count toward the team’s salary limit.
BBL teams can have only three overseas players in their playing 11. Each team has already secured three players through pre-signing rules and the June overseas draft. They can also sign up to four more overseas replacement players, so a team can have seven overseas players in total, but only three can play in a match at the same time.
Ravichandran Ashwin has also confirmed he will take part in the Hong Kong Sixes 2025, Cricket Hong Kong, China, announced on Thursday, September 18. This is expected to be his first tournament after retiring from the IPL. The six-a-side event is scheduled for November 7 to 9.
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