File photo of Ravichandran Ashwin.
R Ashwin
Rajasthan Royals bought India veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for a price of Rs. 5 crore. Ash invited interest from his former side DC and Rajasthan franchise but was finally included in Rajashtan Royals. He will now join hands with his dear friend Jos Buttler.
One of the modern-day greats in spin bowling, Ravichandran Ashwin has frequently influenced games. The wily off-spinner from Tamil Nadu was one of the chief architects when Delhi Capitals reached the final of the IPL for the first time in 2020. With a bag full of tricks and variations, that bamboozle the batsmen, Ashwin's greatness lies in his skill and adaptive capabilities. Ashwin's IPL career took off with the Chennai Super Kings and he was part of the MS Dhoni-led CSK side winning two back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011. After spending a majority of his time with the yellow brigade, Ashwin went to Rising Pune Supergiants before leading the then Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS). Delhi Capitals then acquired his services and made a valuable addition through a trade with Kings XI Punjab. Ashwin has bagged a truckload of wickets with remarkable consistency and such is his impact in IPL that from 2010 to 2020 the tall off-spinner has never failed to scalp 10 or more wickets in a season with an economy hovering around seven. The spin wizard recently surpassed Harbhajan Singh's tally of 417 Test wickets to become the country's third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. In 167 IPL matches Ashwin has played, the veteran has picked 145 wickets at an economy of 6.91 with a best of 4/34. In the 2021 season, Ashwin played 13 matches picking 7 wickets at an economy of 7.41. From his subtle variations to wicket-taking skills, Ashwin will be in full flow in IPL 2022 and a maiden IPL five-wicket haul will be an icing on the cake.
