R Ashwin (Source: @IPL/X.com)
Indian off-spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin, after hanging up his boots from domestic cricket in India, now plans to move towards global franchise cricket leagues. After recently signing with the Indian side in Hong Kong Super Sixes and with Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League 2025-2026, Ashwin is also planning a stint in the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-2026.
What if no team picks Ashwin in the ILT20 auction?
Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin signed with the Sydney Thunder side in the Big Bash League 2025-26 season, where he will be representing the Northern Sydney-based club from January 6th until the finals of the tournament on January 25th.
However, before that, he has planned to feature in the UAE-based International League T20 (ILT20) 2025-26 season, where he has registered his name for the auction to be held on October 1st, with the highest base price being US$120,000, as he has the highest base price in the auction.
Each franchise will interestingly only have US$800,000 to spend at the auction, alongside whatever amount was left unutilized from the $1.2 million that was already granted to them for direct signings and retentions.
The ILT20 2025-26 edition will be held from December 2nd 2025, till January 4th, 2026, where he will play for the entire season, following which he will join his BBL side.
Now, what happens if Ashwin goes unsold in the ILT20 auction, considering his higher base price and the limited budgets of teams?
Considering the fact that each team needs to have a minimum of 19 players and a maximum of 21 players in the auction, Ashwin, whose base price when converted to rupees is ₹1 Crore, has a high chance of going unsold since his base price is 1/8 of the total amount available for each franchise.
In the scenario he goes unsold in the first round, there's also a chance he can be called back in the accelerated round if teams have the remaining required budget to succeed with him.
More interestingly, there is also a provision for teams to sign a player outside of the auction with a wildcard signing, which has a budget of US$250K available to them independent of the auction purse.
It is also worth noting that before the ILT20, Ashwin will also be featuring in the Hong Kong Super Sixes tournament, to be held from November 7th to November 9th in Hong Kong, China.
If Ashwin remains unsold in both rounds of the auction, he can still be selected as a replacement player, provided they have the required budget for him.
Despite having a high chance of getting picked in the auction, there is also a possibility that teams refrain from picking a spinner, who is incidentally well past his prime, especially in T20 cricket, since the ILT20 is a highly competitive competition.
How can that impact his BBL deal with Sydney Thunder?
Now, considering all this, what happens if he goes unsold in the ILT20 auction, and how will it impact his deal with the Sydney Thunder?
Ashwin has only signed with Thunder for the three matches in the group stage, and for the play-off stage, which will begin after January 18th and be played from January 18th to January 25th.
Just in case he goes unsold in the ILT20 auction, he will have the entire month of December free to play for the Thunder in the BBL.
For the vacant window, Sydney Thunder can approach Ashwin for a contract renegotiation, potentially moving him from three league games to the entire season, which begins on December 14th.
This opens up the possibility of Ashwin's contract being extended by the Thunder, who can then sign him for the remainder of the edition. This will also require an extensive budget allocation, considering he, according to reports, has already signed a contract with a budget of AU$1 million for a minimum of three games and a maximum of six.
Considering he signs for the entire season, his budget in the Big Bash League will likely go up from AU$500K to probably $1 or $1.5 million, which would be a massive amount, especially for Cricket Australia, who have already allowed the marketing pool budget for star players to be signed in the league.
Although this is highly unlikely, considering the stature, performance, and experience of Ashwin, who could also double up as a coach-player duo for the ILT20 side. His prospect of playing in the ILT20 has only increased, but just in case he doesn't go under the hammer, we might see the possibility of Ashwin playing the entire BBL season, which will be a dream for many fans down under, who have regarded him as the greatest signing in the league's history.
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