Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went unsold in the first-ever International League T20 auction. He had a base price of USD 120,000 but none of the teams bid for him. The auction surprised fans, because Ashwin has been one of India’s most consistent T20 players for over a decade.
The new ILT20 held its first player auction this week. Teams spent a lot of money on young and overseas players, but a lot of famous names went unsold. Along with Ashwin, England’s James Anderson, WTC 2025 winning captain Temba Bavuma and Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir also did not find bidders. However, all the players will return back into the auction later in the evening for another chance to be picked.
Ashwin is one of the best Indian spinners ever. He played 65 T20Is matches for India, where he took 72 wickets at an economy rate of 6.90. In the IPL, he played 221 matches for five franchises, where he claimed 187 wickets and scored important runs in the lower-order. Ashwin was also the captain of Punjab Kings in 2018 and 2019 and was a crucial part of Chennai Super Kings’ title wins in 2010 and 2011.
Earlier this month, Sydney Thunder signed him for Australia’s Big Bash League. Thunder’s General Manager, Trent Copeland, called Ashwin’s signing a “pinch yourself” moment. “I think it’s arguably the biggest signing in BBL history – the first Indian legend and an icon of the game,” he said.
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