- May 1, 2025
It seems every season of the IPL leads to more questions than answers. So, as the CSK faithful count down the days till the next emotional journey in 2025, one name flows through every WhatsApp group and fan forum: Ravichandran Ashwin. The local boy, the spinning wizard, the seasoned soldier. But the question is this: is Ashwin a relevant piece in CSK’s future? After an indifferent season, while the pressure rose, it is worth asking if the yellow army needs to hit the release button.
The Spin That’s Lost Its Sting?
Let’s be blunt—Ashwin’s stats with the ball in IPL 2024 didn’t exactly jump off the page. He has played second-fiddle for a majority of the matches, and frankly, this is alarming. The biggest issue is that he does not seem willing to bowl one legitimate off-spin ball (the spinner’s bread and butter). The off-spin, instead, he often relied on the carrom ball—a delivery that is becoming increasingly easier to pick up by batters.
Cricket analysts, including Wasim Jaffer, have sounded this alarm. Ashwin’s conservative nature can be an asset in red-ball cricket. But the IPL is a different kettle of fish, it embraces aggression and unpredictability while also introducing a performance motive that is not present in many other forms of cricket. Ashwin has not taken on a team’s attacking role that CSK needs, especially during the powerplay. And for a franchise that spent almost ₹10 crore for his return, his returns have not met the cost.
The Age and Evolution Factor
Ashwin isn’t merely a bowler; he is a cricketing intellect. At 38, is that intellect letting the body get ahead? Often, experience can make you more cautious. The Ashwin we see now is much more than the one who once travelled straight to the neck. It could be age, it could be maturity—whatever it is, it has come at a cost of impact.
Other teams have effectively used combinations of spinners – Narine and Chakravarthy for KKR being one of them – while CSK was looking to form a spin duo with Jadeja and Ashwin and haven’t yet experienced the same joys. This pairing lacks the deadly venom to threaten the opposition sides, especially on dead tracks. To provide CSK with any appropriate competitive edge, they not only need spinners who can contain runs, but they also need attacking spinners.
Is Sentiment Holding CSK Back?
Let’s not kid ourselves, emotions are big right now in the CSK camp, feelings run deep in a team built on loyalty and legacy. That is how bringing Ashwin back felt, like he was coming home. But emotions can’t be a strategy. If CSK is serious about rebuilding for the next era of IPL, they are going to have to make difficult choices, and Ashwin could be a part of that transition.
It’s not that I don’t want to disrespect a legend. We would just like to point out that team chemistry needs to be reset. With so many new players coming through domestic systems, CSK has to think about the younger spin options, and that is with spinners in mind alone. Markande, Mayank Markande? Sai Kishore? Yash Thakur? CSK is going to need to realize that they need to introduce a potential new match-winner into their focus and that holding on to a bunch of veterans, to “give them a send-off”, is not going to assist in speedy development.
What do you think, should CSK retain Ashwin for one more year, or is it time to give someone new the ball? Let me know in the comments. Let’s get the discussion on the go.
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