Murugan Ashwin with his Punjab teammates. Image Credits- AFP
Former Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner Murugan Ashwin has called off his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), along with his overall Indian cricket career.
Last played in the lucrative league back in IPL 2023, Ashwin decided to hang up his boots just before the IPL 2026 playoffs.
The 35-year-old last played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26, featuring for Jammu & Kashmir. Although he could only play four games in the tournament, the leg-spinner picked up a five-wicket against Assam.
Murugan Ashwin pens special note while announcing retirement
Murugan Ashwin announced his retirement on Monday via his official Instagram handle. He has called it off in the IPL and domestic circles, but the leggie will kickstart his second innings in tier two leagues, where retired cricketers play for a cause.
"I would like to announce that I have decided to call time on my domestic cricket career and my journey in the IPL. I will, however, be exploring new challenges and opportunities, and I look forward to continuing to play the game as competitively as always," Murugan Ashwin wrote on his Instagram handle.
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Ashwin thanks Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma
Furthermore, the 35-year-old cricketer thanked all his IPL captains, i.e. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rohit Sharma, for carving him both mentally and technically.
"My decade-long experience in the IPL gave me the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game and play under the leadership of legendary cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rohit Sharma. These experiences have helped me work on myself and become a better cricketer since my debut in 2016," Murugan Ashwin added.
Murugan Ashwin IPL career
Murugan Ashwin first came into the limelight when the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants for a whopping INR 4.5 crore in IPL 2016. In the next two seasons, the leggie went to Delhi and Bengaluru, playing for INR 1 crore and INR 2.2 crore, respectively.
The Chennai-born spent three seasons with Punjab, where he played under Ravi Ashwin and KL Rahul. He has played for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022 and the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023.
Overall, Ashwin played 44 IPL matches, snapping 35 wickets at an economy of 8.01, in his eight-year-long IPL career. Moreover, he has played as seasons of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), winning it with Chepauk Super Gillies in 2019.
Domestically, he played majorly for Tamil Nadu, but also represented Chandigarh and J&K.
Writer's note on Murugan Ashwin's early retirement
As Murugan Ashwin has taken an early retirement at the age of 35, it hints at the growing competition in India. Although the BCCI has increased the number of domestic teams, including in the IPL, competition among cricketers has also grown rapidly.
In his 14-year-long domestic career, Ashwin could only play seven first-class games, 34 List-A matches and 117 T20s.
However, the emergence of veteran leagues will only create more opportunities for players like Murugan Ashwin.
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