Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinner Murugan Ashwin announced his retirement ahead of the RCB vs Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match. Ashwin announced his retirement through a heart-touching note on Instagram. He has retired from the Indian Premier League and domestic cricket, but will continue to play for several other T20 leagues.
Murugan Ashwin Played for five different teams throughout his IPL career after making his debut for Rising Pune Super Giants (now defunct) in IPL 2026. After a successful stint with RPS, the spinner joined RCB ahead of the 2018 season. In his IPL career, Ashwin played for Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
Murugan Ashwin has good IPL stats
In his emotional social media post, the spinner thanked all five franchises for showing faith in him. He played 44 IPL matches and took 35 wickets at an average of 33.20. His economy rate is 8.01 runs per over.
During his stint with RCB, the Tamil Nadu-born player took three wickets in two matches at an economy rate of 7.57. His best season was with Kings XI Punjab during the 2020–21 season, when he scored 10 runs in 9 matches at an economy rate of 7.46. Ashwin played his last IPL match on May 7, 2023 Rajasthan RoyalsAgainst Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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Bowling statistics of Murugan Ashwin for RCB:
|
date |
m/ins |
versus |
Field |
batsman out |
bowling figure |
|
29/4/2018 |
Second |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) |
M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa |
2/36(4) |
|
5/5/2018 |
Second |
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium |
Ambati Rayudu |
1/17(3) |
The spinner shared an emotional message
“Ever since I started playing cricket at the age of six, I have been deeply in love with the game and it has blessed me immensely. Cricket has shaped me into the person I am today and has allowed me to truly express myself on the field. It has been an incredible journey so far, and on that note, I want to share an update with you all,” Ashwin wrote in an Instagram post.
He said, “I would like to announce that I have decided to put my domestic cricket career and my journey in the IPL on pause for the time being. However, I will look for new challenges and opportunities and I look forward to continuing playing the game as competitively as I always have.”
He expressed his respect for some of the legends of the game, such as Virat KohliMS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. During his IPL stint, Murugan Ashwin got the opportunity to play alongside some of the top-tier talent in the game.
He said, “My decade-long experience in the IPL allowed me to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game and play under legendary cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma. These experiences have helped me work on myself and become a better cricketer since my debut in 2016.”
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