'To get someone with Ashwin's credentials to come over here for the BBL will be great at so many levels.'
Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently retired from all forms of Indian cricket, could be seen plying his trade in the Big Bash League (BBL).
According to a Cricbuzz report, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg is in talks with Ashwin, and if a deal materliases, the 2026 edition of Australia's premier T20 league will be the star spinner's maiden outing in a franchise-based T20 league outside India.
While announcing his retirement from the IPL through a social media post last week, Ashwin, who will turn 39 on September 17, had expressed his keenness to explore T20 leagues across the globe.
India's second-highest wicket-taker across formats with 765 scalps from 287 international games, the Chennai-based all-rounder will become the first Indian player to feature in the BBL, if any franchise happens to pick him via the draft system.
The 8-team BBL has a yearly draft to determine player selections for the upcoming season.
'To get someone with Ashwin's credentials to come over here for the BBL will be great at so many levels. He's a champion cricketer who will bring a lot to the Big Bash and to our cricket summer,' Greenberg told Cricbuzz.
The presence of a player of Ashwin's stature will certainly be a shot in the arm for the BBL, which has often been panned by cricket fans for its lack of star power.
Besides, Ashwin has a significant presence on social media, using platforms like YouTube for his punditry show Ash Ki Baat and his YouTube channel, Kutti Stories with Ash, where he shares his opinions on cricket. He could help the BBL attract new fans and foster the league's global growth.
Although Ashwin was bought by the Chennai Super Kings for Rs 9.75 crore (Rs 97.5 million) at the IPL 2025 mega auction, he will have to settle for a much smaller amount in the BBL.
Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam is the most expensive player in BBL history, signed by the Sydney Sixers for BBL 15 at a reported salary of up to AUD 420,000 (approximately Rs 30.5 million).
There was speculation that Ashwin could enter the SA20 2026 auction, considering players retired from Indian cricket being eligible to participate in the overseas league. However, to everyone's surprise, his name was nowhere to be found on the recently released SA20 player auction list.
According to Wisden, Ashwin's absence stems from his interest in participating in the International League T20 (ILT20) auction pool, as the tournament will be held around the same time as the SA20.
While South Africa's T20 tournament begins in December and runs for a month, ILT20 will kick off on January 11 next year. With half of the tournament overlapping, Ashwin opted to compete in the ILT20.
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