The off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has decided to play in other leagues across the globe.

Ashwin’s IPL retirement comes nine months after he called time on his international career. After India drew the Melbourne Test against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 38-year old said he was done when he attended the post-match conference with former captain Rohit Sharma.

Picking 187 wickets from 221 games in a 14-year career, Ashwin finishes as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL. He has represented several franchises, including Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.

He broke the news on the social media platform X and said he will now explore playing in the leagues around the world.

“Special day and hence a special beginning,” Ashwin wrote.

“They say every ending will have a new start. My time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today,” added Ravichandran Ashwin.

“I would like to thank all the franchisees for all the wonderful memories and relationships over the years, and most importantly, the IPL and the BCCI for what they have given me until now. Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what’s ahead of me,” said Ashwin.

Despite playing for five difference franchises, Ashwin’s true success came with CSK, with whom he won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011.

Ravichandran Ashwin embraced IPL captaincy for the first time in his career when he was given the reins of the Punjab Kings in 2018.

Ashwin returned to CSK during IPL 2025 auction for a whooping pice of INR 9.75 crore and featured in nine out of 14 games picking seven wickets.

This campaign marked his first stint back with his home town after spending eight seasons with other franchises.

Notably, it was also the first time since his debut season in 2009 that he played fewer than 12 matches. Additionally, Ravichandran Ashwin endured his most expensive bowling season yet conceding runs at economy rate of 9.12, his first time exceeding an economy of 8.49.