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New twist in Ashwin's auction saga; Here's how IND legend can still play ILT20 but alongside PAK stars

Abhinav Tyagi

R Ashwin for CSK - (Source : AFP)R Ashwin for CSK - (Source : AFP)

On Wednesday, October 1, ILT20 conducted its first-ever auction in the history of the league. Before the start of the auction, eyes were on R Ashwin as he registered in the UAE's premier T20 league with the highest base price. Shockingly, the Indian legend found no bidder and eventually went unsold.

The news quickly spread across the internet, and the fans were surprised that the right-arm off-spinner, who was promoting the tournament on his channel, found no bidders. Further, there was still a hope in the accelerated round, but Ashwin's name never popped up. 

The fans blamed Ashwin for his high base price of USD 120,000. But was his auction price really the issue? Notably, in the latest events, there are reports that the Indian spinner decided to pull out of the auction at the last minute, which is why no team raised a paddle for him. 

Cricket analyst and match presenter Simon Doull shed light on this matter and explained why Ashwin went unsold as quoted by News18.

“We are hearing that he may have pulled out of the auction, which is a massive surprise. I mean, you have got to read the room. You have got to understand what is going on out there and all that money left, when there are 3-4 teams with over $400,000 left in their pot," Doull said while speaking on the live auction broadcast on YouTube.


“I don’t think they came here not wanting to spend money; it is there to be spent. If he pulled himself out, then he just has not read the room. I think sides would have gone in for him," Doull added.

How can R Ashwin still play in ILT20?

Notably, doors are still open for R Ashwin to feature in ILT20, but it comes at a cost. There is a 'wildcard' rule in the UAE league, where teams can buy a star anytime. Although only two teams - MI Emirates and Desert Vipers are yet to exercise their wildcard rule option.

Now, the problem for Ashwin is that for MI to exercise this rule, they need to leave out a player, as they have already completed their squad of 21 players. However, Desert Vipers have a place, but the team is filled with Pakistan players such as Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz and Naseem Shah.