Legendary Indian spinner R. Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket last year in the middle of the India vs Australia Test series.
At the end of the third Test of the series, Ashwin shocked the world by bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career that spanned over a decade and established him as India's all-time second-highest wicket-taker.
While he was no longer available to play for India, Ashwin continued his journey in the Indian Premier League, as only a month back, he was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
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IPL 2025 turned out to be a nightmare for both CSK and Ashwin as the five-time winners finished the season at the bottom of the table, while the 39-year-old picked up only seven wickets in the entire.
Months after a disappointing campaign, Ashwin announced his retirement from the IPL as well. Along with the retirement call, Ashwin informed that he will now be available to play in overseas T20 leagues, complying with the regulations of BCCI.
At the Big Bash League 2025/26 auction, Sydney Thunders secured the signature of the legendary off-spinner, who will be available for the franchise for the entire BBL season.
Ahead of Ashwin's debut in Australia's premium T20 league, former India coach and commentator Ravi Shastri has issued a warning to all the batters who will take part in the BBL this year.
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Ravi Shastri issues stern warning to batters ahead of Ashwin's BBL debut
In an interaction with the media in Australia, Shastri spoke about Ashwin's debut as he said: "Think this is the first time an Indian player is coming, so that itself is huge. And he is not just any Indian player; he is someone who has taken close to 600 wickets (in Tests). He is someone who loves playing and wants to...I have spoken to him and he's playing the whole Big Bash this time."
Shastri then issued a cheeky warning to all the batters in BBL, while referring to Ashwin's tendency to 'Mankad' batters.
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The ex-India coach added: "Don't leave your crease. He'll run you out. That's the first message. Don't try and steal a run, because he'll take those bails off, and rightly so. You have no business outside your crease."
Ashwin has always been a vocal supporter of 'Mankading' as he feels it perfectly complies with the MCC rules, while also serves as a punishment for the batters for leaving the non-striker's crease too early.
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