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Looking back at BCCI's proposed plan that would have stopped Ashwin from joining global leagues

Abhinav Tyagi

R Ashwin Playing For CSK - (Source : AFP)R Ashwin Playing For CSK - (Source : AFP)

On Tuesday, September 23, a report stated that R Ashwin will be featuring in the BBL and ILT20 later this year. The former Indian spinner, who recently announced his IPL retirement, is all set to feature in global leagues. 

The report added that Ricky Ponting’s Hobart Hurricanes and Tim Paine’s Adelaide Strikers are looking to sign the CSK legend. Further, teams from ILT20 are also gearing up to sign the right-arm off-spinner.

Notably, Ashwin had announced his India retirement from India in December 2024 during the India vs Australia Test series. However, on August 27, 2025, the right-arm spinner announced his retirement from IPL, which allowed him to take part in overseas leagues. 

It is worth noting that Ashwin would become the first major Indian cricketer to take part in top overseas leagues such as the BBL. 

What Was BCCI's Proposed Plan For Retired Cricketers

But for the unversed, the BCCI once had proposed a cooling-off period for players, which would have barred them from featuring in foreign leagues for a year after their retirement. 

The plan was also always in a proposed stage, but it was never conceptualised and made into a rule. At the time of writing, the cooling-off period for retired players is still a concept under consideration by the BCCI, with no final policy in place.

Why Did The BCCI Propose A Rule Cooling Off Rules For Players?

The BCCI governs the most successful T20 league in the world. Now the issue is that several talented Indian pool miss out on the opportunity and to eliminate the fear of losing out on such players to foreign leagues, the board decided to introduce a cooling-off period.

Also, to avoid premature retirements from cricketers, the BCCI decided to bring in such a law. However, it is yet to be implemented, and in case it were there, then R Ashwin would have been barred from playing because of the rules as he is yet to complete a year-long cooling-off period.