'I had agreed verbally with ILT20, but then the franchise offers were pretty low because the direct signings had been closed by all teams.'
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has agreed to play the entire upcoming season of the Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder, just a day after he went unsold at the ILT20 auction in Dubai, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Ashwin has joined Sydney Thunder for the upcoming BBL season in a mega deal reportedly valued at around $1 million over two years, becoming the first Indian capped men's cricketer to play in the league.
The move follows Ashwin's retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, which allowed him to participate in T20 leagues around the world.
Only retired Indian players are permitted by the BCCI to take part in overseas T20 leagues. Before the ILT20 auction, Ashwin was listed as fully available for the tournament and would have gone to BBL after its conclusion.
However, after he went unsold in the ILT20 Season 4 auction on Wednesday, Ashwin has agreed to play the entire BBL season.
The 2025-26 BBL season is scheduled to start on December 14, with the final slated on January 25, 2026.
Ashwin said he had "verbally" agreed with ILT20 to feature in the 2025-26 edition, which will be played between December 2 and January 4.
"I had agreed verbally with ILT20, but then the franchise offers were pretty low because the direct signings had been closed by all teams," Ashwin was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"Meanwhile, Thunder came with a good deal, but since I had verbally agreed with ILT20, I entered the auction saying this is the minimum price I want to play for, else I am happy going to the BBL," he added.
India-born Unmukt Chand and Nikhil Chaudhary played in the BBL after migrating overseas.
Thunder, led by former Australia opener David Warner, boast of a strong batting line-up in young opener Sam Konstas along with internationals Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings and Lockie Ferguson.
Ashwin will bolster Thunder's spin department which already features Chris Green, Tom Andrews, Tanveer Sangha and Pakistan's Shadab Khan.
A decorated international career saw Ashwin finish as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests with 537 scalps, behind only Anil Kumble's 619.
In the IPL, Ashwin featured in 221 matches, picking up 187 wickets at 30.22 with best figures of 4/34. He also contributed 833 runs with the bat, including a highest score of 50.
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