Ashwin at the IPL - A pioneer and a trendsetter

 

Less than a year after leaving international cricket, R Ashwin has called time on his IPL career. But he isn't done as a player yet. At 38, Ashwin has said that life "as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins" from this point on. In 16 seasons of the IPL - he started in 2009 and missed 2017 with an injury - Ashwin picked up 187 wickets, the fifth-most of any bowler. Here, we take a look at what else he made news for at the IPL.

Ashwin made his debut for his home IPL team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2009, in their first game of the season against Mumbai Indians in Cape Town. But the debut was rather unmemorable as Ashwin, rumoured to have been brought on board primarily as a net bowler, didn't get a chance to bowl after MS Dhoni's CSK opted to field, and was not required to bat as CSK lost with seven wickets down.

With the team management preferring Muthiah Muralidaran as their main spinner, Ashwin played just one other match that season. But it was a sign of things to come both from Ashwin and CSK, as he returned 2 for 13 in a low-scoring, spin-dominated win over Kings XI Punjab.