‘Money, fame, or name is not an issue…’: 1983 World Cup winner reacts to Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL

Veteran Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricket world by announcing his decision to quit the Indian Premier League (IPL). His exit came as a big surprise, especially since he had recently spoken with the Chennai Super Kings about his future. Despite the fact that he could have continued playing for other franchises and even earned big money in the auctions, the Tamil Nadu star chose a different path. Instead of staying in the IPL, Ashwin has decided to focus on playing in overseas leagues.

1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth was surprised by Ashwin’s decision to leave the IPL. He said fame or money wasn’t the reason and felt Ashwin could have played for at least a few more years.

“I am not sure why Ashwin retired. If I were in his place, I would have continued playing IPL for at least another two years. Of course, for Ashwin, money, fame, or name is not an issue. He has all of those in abundance. But, he could have played in the IPL for another two years and then gone on to play in the other leagues,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

“Probably, other Indian cricketers will also follow this approach of playing in other leagues once their time in the IPL is up. However, the recognition and visibility a player gets in the IPL is much higher than from all other leagues. So, one can play other leagues for the sake of it, but what you get in the IPL, other leagues don’t come close to it,” he added.

“Ashwin has been one of the best IPL cricketers India has produced. He gained fame through the IPL. Though he had done well in the domestic competitions and for India in Tests, he was first recognized through the IPL and CSK, especially when he kept dismissing Chris Gayle for fun,” Srikkanth said.

“He was both an attacking and an economical bowler in the IPL. I am only surprised that he is walking away in the middle of a three-year cycle after the Mega auction last year. In a way, it’s a good sign that players retiring from India can become coaches or players in foreign leagues,“