IPL 2026: R Ashwin Poised to Depart from Chennai Super Kings

The 2025 IPL season was unsuccessful for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The team, which is a five-time league champion, finished last, in tenth place in the tournament. It won only four games out of 14 and scored eight points. This is a disastrous result for a franchise that always aims for the highest results. It has big plans for the 2026 season, and in all likelihood, R Ashwin will not be playing for it.

What happened? 

R Ashwin is one of India’s greatest match-winners in red-ball cricket. According to insider information, for reasons unknown to the public, he has already informed CSK management that he intends to leave the franchise. At the same time, he will have to step down from his position as Director of Operations at the CSK Academy, which he has held for the past year. 

Ashwin has 187 wickets and 833 runs in 221 matches to his credit. He spent his first eight seasons in the IPL with CSK, then played for other clubs in the league from 2016 to 2024, before returning to CSK in 2025. It is not yet known how the cricketer will end his time with the team (whether he will be traded to another club or sent to auction), but it appears that a new era is beginning in his career.