Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to join Delhi Capitals from Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming 2020 IPL season, according to reports.
Ashwin is on the verge of leaving KXIP, who signed him in the 2018 IPL auction for INR 7.6 crore and was also appointed as the captain. According to Espncricinfo, the Delhi will buy out Ashwin in a all-cash deal and not a 'trade' -- which is the technical term.
Ashwin also attracted interest from Sunrisers Hyderabad but the talks didn't materialise and Delhi took the lead ahead of others.
Capitals are believed to be very keen on the off-spinner and initiated talks with KXIP about buying him out and talks have been ongoing for a few months. If the move does go through, Delhi will have 7 spinners including the Team India Test member. Delhi's other spinners include Sandeep Lamichhane, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Mayank Markande and J Suchith.
The rumours also have some substance because of Delhi's advisor Sourav Ganguly, who added fuel to fire.
"We would be more than happy to have Ashwin if KXIP is ready to release him,” Ganguly said recently.
Capitals will become Ashwin's fourth IPL franchise after Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI.
Ashwin's stock remains high despite being overlooked for limited-overs cricket in for India. Ashwin continues to experiment with his action and balls to unsettle the batsmen and remain a potent weapon. With his vast experience and batting ability, Ashwin remains a handy option overall for any franchise. Overall, he has played 139 IPL matches and taken 125 wickets at an economy rate of 6.79 -- the best among Indian bowlers, who has played 50 matches.
With Ashwin as captain, Kings XI won 12 games and lost 16 in the past two IPL seasons. Although they were a contender for the playoffs at the halfway stage in both seasons, they eventually failed to advance.
For KXIP, Ashwin has won 12 games and lost 16 as captain over the past two seasons and failed to qualify for the qualifiers even once.
Recently, Punjab parted ways with their entire coaching staff and are reportedly likely to appoint a new captain with KL Rahul being one of the favourites.
