R Ashwin gets call from Cricket Australia; historic move may open door for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma as ILT20 snub looms

Having recently announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ravichandran Ashwin, who is no longer contracted with the BCCI, has been receiving interest from all corners of the globe. In the space of just a week since he made the shock announcement on social media, Ashwin has been linked to as many as three overseas leagues. After The Hundred and the ILT20, Ashwin is now reportedly in talks with Cricket Australia for a move to Down Under for the Big Bash League (BBL). R Ashwin could likely make his BBL debut later this year

According to a report in Cricbuzz, Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Todd Greenberg reached out to Ashwin moments after his retirement from the IPL last week. In fact, the senior Indian spinner had revealed in his retirement statement that he wanted to become an "explorer of the game around (the) various leagues," and the BBL might just be his first step towards that goal. However, much remains in the hands of the CA on how they could make the deal possible, and on Ashwin for how many matches he will be available for, and on the BBL franchises as to which side he would join. The report added that if the 38-year-old does make the distance, Melbourne would be his stop.

Greenberg also confirmed that he called up Ashwin and a potential deal is already underway. "To get someone with Ashwin's credentials to come over here for the BBL will be great at so many levels. He's a champion cricketer who will bring a lot to the Big Bash and to our cricket summer," he said.

Greenberg's next biggest task will be to chat with all the franchises and formulate a deal for Ashwin, especially since all eight teams have already largely spent their salary purses during the draft. But CA will want to go the distance to pull it off, to rope in the legendary cricketer, who has won multiple IPLs. The move, which will make Ashwin the first Indian male cricketer to play in the BBL, will not expose the league to the cricket-hungry audience in South Asia, but also leave the door ajar for the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play in the BBL in the near future.

The report further added that Ashwin has "expressed his desire to Greenberg about pursuing coaching ambitions and using every opportunity he gets to hone his skills as he steps into uncharted waters."

However, a move to BBL would mean that Ashwin will snub ILT20, which the same website linked him to earlier this week. Season 4 of ILT20 is scheduled to start on December 2, 2025, and run until January 4, 2026, while BBL will be played between December 14, 2026, and January 25, 2026.

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