England wicketkeeper Sam Billings jokingly warned fans to mute their TVs when Ravichandran Ashwin bowls for the Sydney Thunder in the upcoming Big Bash League 2025-26 season, which begins on December 14.
On Instagram, the official BBL page, in collaboration with Sydney Thunder and cricket.com.au, shared a post showing Sydney Thunder’s strongest playing XI for the upcoming BBL 2025-26 season, featuring both Sam Billings and Ravichandran Ashwin.
In the comments, a fan wrote “Come on Ash, come on Ash,” a phrase made famous by Rishabh Pant while cheering for Ashwin during India’s matches, a tradition that originally began with MS Dhoni.
Billings humorously replied, “It’s happening, mute your TVs!” Earlier, when Sydney Thunder signed Ashwin, Billings had also tagged Pant on X (formerly Twitter), asking him for tips on how to perfect the “Come on Ash” chant.
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Ravichandran Ashwin is set to feature for the entire Big Bash League 2025-26 season with Sydney Thunder, ending earlier talks that he would only be available until January. His commitment now extends through the full season, including the playoffs.
The move comes shortly after Ashwin went unsold at the ILT20 auction, where his base price was set at $120,000. Instead of lowering his base amount, he chose to focus on playing in Australia, turning the missed UAE opportunity into a major BBL storyline.
Ashwin created history by becoming the first Indian men’s international cricketer to play in the Big Bash League. This became possible after he retired from both international cricket and the IPL, which allowed him to play in overseas leagues. He is expected to make his debut for Sydney Thunder on December 16 against Hobart Hurricanes in Hobart.
David Warner (c), Tom Andrews, Wes Agar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Ollie Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Shadab Khan, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Billings, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan.
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