Ravichandran Ashwin Opens Up On Infamous IPL Mankad Involving Jos Buttler

Ravichandran Ashwin Mocks Jos Buttler (Source: AFP Photos)Ravichandran Ashwin, the former India spinner, has had a brilliant career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well. He made his IPL debut in 2009 and won two titles with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2010 and 2011.Ashwin retired from the IPL in August 2025 after an illustrious 16-season, 221-match career, finishing as one of the top wicket-takers with 187 wickets and 833 runs.Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler's Mankading controversyAfter spending six years with Chennai Super Kings and two years with Rising Pune Super Giants, Ravichandran Ashwin moved to Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab), and the franchise put their faith in the Tamil Nadu spinner, making him captain of the team.He captained the Punjab franchise in 28 games and won 12 and lost 16 matches with a win percentage of 42.85. Ashwin’s captaincy stint promised a lot of things but fell well short of expectations.“When Punjab picked me in 2018, I knew I was moving on… I spent two years there and honestly gave it everything. But I have a slight feeling that I couldn’t make that team my own. At an auction, you get the chance to build your team… the team couldn’t quite be built around me. I may not have achieved much as a captain, but the learnings were immense,” Ashwin was quoted as saying on JioHostar.Also Read: Rajasthan Royals Get New Owners In The Middle Of IPL 2026; Sold For Whopping AmountAshwin then moved to Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals before joining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025 and retired after the tournament ended.Ravichandran Ashwin’s mankad of Jos Buttler one of the most memorable moments of his IPL careerOne of the most memorable moments of Ashwin’s time with Kings XI Punjab was when he ran out or mankaded Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end when his team clashed with Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur in IPL 2019.Buttler's attack on the bowlers gave RR a strong start as they chased 185. Buttler was caught out of his crease as Ashwin removed the bails at the non-striker's end prior to delivering the ball, which caused the momentum to change.After a brief dispute between the two players, the third umpire dismissed the wicketkeeper-hitter. Punjab took advantage of the incident and won by 14 runs, making it a pivotal moment.“ICC felt this was an honesty problem," Ravichandran Ashwin defends Mankading Jos ButtlerRavichandran Ashwin has reiterated his contentious "Mankading" of Jos Buttler during the 2019 Indian Premier League, claiming he is not ashamed to acknowledge that the deed was motivated by a desire to win."A lot of people talk about character, say this is wrong, or say the player is wrong. After hearing all that, I felt like doing it even more, not to prove a point to people. There was a moment when I was captain against Mumbai, and we needed two runs. I was at extra cover and told the bowler to run him out at the non-striker’s end. The batter ran, but the bowler refused because people say it’s wrong," Ashwin told Jio Hotstar.“If the ICC felt this was an honesty problem, they wouldn’t keep it in the rules. If you need two runs off one ball and you start running early, whose fault is it? People say Jos Buttler didn’t try to run, but that’s not my problem. People also say I did it to win. Of course, I did it to win. What is there to be ashamed of?" he added."After I ran him out, I called the team and said, ‘This will look different to them; they will lose. Don't worry about the reaction; I will handle the media. We just have to win.’ And we won. So, there is no issue of character in this,” Ashwin concluded.Ashwin’s action triggered a huge reaction from the cricketing world. England’s James Anderson stood firm with Jos Buttler and slammed Ashwin and also shredded Ashwin’s photo as a gesture.Ravichandran Ashwin’s international careerRavichandran Ashwin had called time on his India career in 2024, midway into India’s tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Ashwin finished his India Test career with 537 runs and 3503 runs in 106 Tests. He also played 116 ODIs, taking 156 wickets, and won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy with the Indian team.Ashwin also had a decent T20I career, with 72 wickets in 65 T20I games. He was part of the Indian team that reached the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup.Also Read: PSL Final Live Streaming In India-YouTube, TV Channel, Platforms: Peshawar Zalmi vs Hyderabad Kingsmen