Ashwin's IPL retirement bomb | 'Mentally disturbing season with CSK forced me to quit early'

The off-spinner appeared in only nine of CSK's 14 matches in the 2025 season in what was to be his homecoming after starting his IPL journey with the same team.

R Ashwin has revealed that he could have played the Indian Premier League (IPL) a bit longer had it not been for a "mentally disturbing" and "painful" phase that he went through during his time with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

On his youtube show 'Ash Ki Baat', the veteran, who retired from international cricket in 2024 before ending his IPL stint last year, said he decided to call it quits to save the franchise the dilemma of deciding his fate.

"...I recently spent a disappointing season with CSK, it was a disappointing season for me personally. Honestly, in my mind, I could've played more, but I quit because emotionally, I just didn't have the bandwidth to play while managing everything else," Ashwin said.

Ashwin, before announcing his IPL retirement, had sought clarity from CSK about his role after being used sparingly during the 2025 season. He appeared in only nine of CSK's 14 matches in what was to be his homecoming after starting his IPL journey with the same team..

"I don't want to go there, it's mentally disturbing. It was very painful for me. I don't want to go there. I discussed a little, then I said, I started in Chennai, I'm finishing in my hometown, it's fine.

"I decided to retire as it saved them the trouble of having to decide whether to retain me or release me. They also saved Rs 10 crore purse with me going," he said.

Ashwin was brought in for Rs 9.75 crore by the franchise, which still derives its identity from a 45-year-old talisman in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ashwin said they had the purse to build a stronger squad with younger players.

"They could have bought good players in the mini auction and built a strong squad So, I'm disappointed. I had expectations, I had hope," Ashwin said.

Five-time champions CSK have been struggling of late. Las season, they finished at the bottom of the table.

Their struggles continue in IPL 2026 with three back-to-back defeats under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy with the latest being a crushing 43-run loss at the hands of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

(With inputs from agencies)