NEW DELHI: Having retired from all forms of Indian cricket, spin great Ravichandran Ashwin has now confirmed his interest in being part of the auctions for the next edition of ILT20, which will be held in the UAE from December 2 to January 4, 2026.
Ashwin, who will turn 39 in another couple of weeks, had recently announced his retirement from the IPL, which has now made him eligible to play in franchise-based T20 leagues across the globe.
India's second-highest wicket-taker across formats with 765 scalps from 287 international games, will be the most high-profile name to play in a global league outside IPL if any franchise happens to pick him at the auctions.
"Yes, I am in talks with the organisers. Hopefully, I will have a buyer if I register for the auction," Ashwin was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
The auction is scheduled to take place on September 30 in Dubai and registration for the same will be completed by September 10. This is the first time that ILT20 will have an auction as it followed the Draft System to pick players during earlier seasons.
Among prominent Indians, who have played in ILT20, the name that instantly comes to mind is Ambati Rayudu, who had in an earlier season played for MI Emirates.
But Rayudu was never as big a name as Ashwin, who was one of India's match-winners in the Test format.