The speculations are finally over. Ravichandran Ashwin’s move to Delhi Capitals has been finalized. Ness wadia, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab confirmed the same on Thursday. Though KXIP co-owner Ness Wadia had earlier refuted the rumours, it is now confirmed that Delhi has secured the services of the Tamil Nadu off-spinner.
Kings XI Punjab captain and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been traded to IPL side Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season.
A Delhi Capitals franchise member confirmed the news and said, “Yes, it is done and we will announce soon.” According to reports, the two players traded for Ashwin from Delhi are New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Karnataka’s all-rounder Jagadeesha Sucith.
Earlier, new Director of Cricket Operations of Kings XI Punjab, Anil Kumble, had expressed uncertainty over the future of Ashwin in the franchise, stating that it would be too early for him to comment on the combination for IPL 2020.
“No decision has been taken yet. I have just come on board, in the last week. We will know in the due course the decisions we are going to make. I haven’t got down to the details of the squad. The players we are going to retain, the players we are going to trade, none of those areas has been looked into,” former India head coach Kumble had said.
This comment followed Wadia’s remark where he had denied trading Ashwin to Delhi.
According to PTI, Delhi Capitals have offered KXIP left-arm spinner J Suchith and an additional sum of INR 1.5 crores as part of the exchange. On the other hand, Ashwin will get INR 7.6 crores, his auction value from the IPL 2018 auction. Although everything is done, the deal is subject to ratification by the IPL Governing Council.
Wadia confirming the news told to PTI, “Everyone is happy with this deal. We are happy, Ashwin is happy and Delhi is happy. We were in talks with three teams but have finally come to this conclusion. We wish Ashwin the very best.”
Ashwin led KXIP for last two seasons but failed to take them to the play offs. Wadia earlier had informed about the same, “We [Ashwin and KXIP] have amicably come to a conclusion that we should part ways.”
As a player Ashwin has been one of the consistent performers in the league since his debut in 2009. He took 125 wickets from 139 games at an excellent economy rate of 6.79 and was an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings side that won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. But as a skipper, he failed to live up to the expectations of Punjab franchises. In all likelihood, KL Rahul will now take the charge of the Punjab team as their new captain.
Under Ashwin’s captaincy, the KXIP franchise topped the league table in the initial stages of the tournament in the last two years. However, on both occasions, the side was unable to keep their momentum going as they faltered at the end to eventually miss out. While they finished seventh in 2018, they finished a spot higher this year.
The trade also means that KL Rahul could be the skipper of the side for the next season.
“Yes, that is very much a possibility because Rahul is not only one of the senior players, but also understands the working of the team and the strengths and weaknesses of those in the team,” said a source in the know of developments in the KXIP camp.