Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin is always known to be a trendsetter on the field. Be it with his decision to retire out or running the batter out at the non-striker's end - Ashwin has never shied away from making bold decisions.
His recent decision to announce retirement from Indian cricket to explore franchise leagues is seen as one such move where we might see others follow suit. We saw Dinesh Karthik do that recently and he played in the SA20 as well, but no Indian player as big as Ashwin had taken the path.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra wondered if other cricketers, too, would follow Ashwin's path to explore overseas leagues.
"Ravichandran Ashwin has said goodbye to the IPL as well, and he is now saying that he will go play the different leagues across the globe. He is charting a new course. His IPL career has been terrific, but all good stories come to an end, and his story ends here. Does it mean other Indian players can also go to play in other leagues?" Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"Wherever he puts his name, he is going to get picked, and he will do very well. Indian players aren't allowed to play in the other leagues to save the novelty of the IPL. If you have to go and play elsewhere, you have to retire not just from international cricket, but also from the IPL, and that's a slightly big caveat. You can go and play somewhere else only if you say tata bye-bye to IPL money."
Chopra further added that it is unlikely that other players will take the Ashwin route.
"There are very few players like that. Ravichandran Ashwin is doing something incredibly different. He is writing a different story as he is leaving despite having a ₹9.75 crore contract. Everyone cannot do that. If someone is bought for less money, no one buys him outside either. If someone is getting good money here, why would he leave? Ashwin is charting a new course, and too many Indian players will not be a part of this course with him," he said.
Ashwin, who started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2008, ended his career with the same franchise in 2025. He was bought for INR 9.75 crore ahead of the 2025 season, but did not fare particularly well as he finished with just seven wickets at 40.42 and an economy rate of 9.12 in nine matches.