Ravichandran Ashwin, or R Ashwin, has been one of the most street-smart cricketers in the history of the game. He used to spin a web for the opposition batters, and his cricketing knowledge has been phenomenal throughout his career. The off-spinner announced his international retirement during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, and now announced his IPL (Indian Premier League) retirement on Wednesday (August 27, 2025). Today, we will discuss R Ashwin’s best bowling spells in IPL history. We will also look at R Ashwin’s IPL career in brief. So let’s start.
R Ashwin’s Best Bowling Spells in IPL
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2/19 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), IPL 2024 Eliminator
R Ashwin delivered an outstanding performance in the IPL 2024 Eliminator against RCB. He achieved these figures while playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). RCB were sitting well on 97/2 in 12.2 overs in a knock-out game, with Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green already stitched a 41-run stand for the 3rd wicket. R Ashwin broke the partnership by dismissing Green on the 3rd ball of the over. He did not stop just there, but dismissed Glenn Maxwell on the next ball. Taking two wickets in two balls, he broke RCB’s middle order.
RCB only managed to score 172/8 in the first inning. With Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 45-run inning and the cameos from Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Rovman Powell, RR chased down the target with one over left. R Ashwin’s spell helped RR to reach the Qualifier in the IPL 2024.
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2/13 vs Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), IPL 2009 League Stage Match
This was one of R Ashwin’s best bowling spells in IPL history. It was more special because that was the first time he bowled in the IPL. Against Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings), he bowled a spell of 2/13 while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). CSK, in the first inning, only managed to score 116. Punjab continues to lose wickets at regular intervals in a run chase, but they still have someone like Kumar Sangakkara, who can take the game away from them.
R Ashwin dismissed Sangakkara and Wilkin Mota, and in the end, with the effort of other CSK bowlers, Punjab only managed to score 92. They fell 24 runs short of CSK’s target. It was the lowest total defended in the IPL at that point in time. As of 2025, it is still one of the lowest total defended in IPL history.
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4/34 vs Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), IPL 2016 League Stage Match
The figures of 4/34 is the best for R Ashwin in his IPL career. While playing for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG), he registered these figures against the Punjab-based franchise in match 53 of the IPL 2016. Punjab started well as their openers, Hashim Amla and Murali Vijay, added a 60-run opening stand. Ashwin breaks the partnership by taking a wicket of Amla. Then again, Murali Vijay and Gurkeerat Singh Mann were going well and added 58 runs for the 3rd wicket. Again, Ashwin breaks the partnership, and this time, he takes both Vijay and Mann in his second spell.
Ashwin also dismissed the dangerous David Miller, and Punjab were restricted to just 172 in the first inning. RPSG chased down the target on the last ball, thanks to the finishing from MS Dhoni. R Ashwin was at the other end when Dhoni won the game for RPSG, hitting Axar Patel in the last over.
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3/23 vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), IPL 2012 Qualifier 2
One of R Ashwin’s best bowling spells came in another knockout game for CSK in the IPL 2012 season. While playing for CSK, he took 3/23 against the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) in the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2012. CSK scored a mammoth total of 222 in the first inning. When Delhi came out for a run-chase, they were looking good at 106-3 with a well-set Mahela Jayawardene and dangerous Andre Russell at the crease.
R Ashwin took the wickets of both Russell and Jayawardene, and that’s where the collapse started to happen. The opposition got bowled out for just 136, losing the game by a huge margin of 86 runs. CSK reached the final of the IPL 2012, but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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3/16 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), IPL 2011 Final
One of the best bowling spells of R Ashwin in IPL history came against RCB, in the final of the 2011 IPL season. He helped CSK to win its 2nd IPL trophy in the all-important final. CSK batted first in the final, and their openers set the game for them. Murali Vijay’s 63 and Michael Hussey’s 95 helped CSK to post 205 in the first inning.
When RCB came out for a run chase, R Ashwin took the wicket of both their openers inside the power play. It also includes the wicket of the destructive Chris Gayle. Those two wickets dented RCB’s run chase. Eventually, RCB fell well short (58 runs) of CSK’s target. This was one of R Ashwin’s best bowling spells in IPL history. Let us now see R Ashwin’s IPL career in brief.
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R Ashwin IPL Career in Brief
R Ashwin started his IPL career with CSK in 2008. Till 2015, he continued to represent CSK, before a two-year ban (2016-17) on the franchise. In the IPL 2016, he played for the Rising Pune Supergiants under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He missed the IPL 2017 due to injury. Then, he went to KXIP for two years (2018-19) and captained them in one of the seasons as well.
Delhi Capitals acquired R Ashwin in the IPL 2020, and he was associated with the franchise for two years (till 2021). From 2022 to 2024, Ashwin played for RR before his homecoming in CSK in IPL 2025. After playing for one season, he announced his retirement from the IPL.
Will We See Ravichandran Ashwin in Other Leagues?
Having seen R Ashwin over the years, he is a kind of player who wants to learn and compete. Now, as he retired from IPL, he will have a chance to play in other franchise cricket like SA20, BBL, The Hundred, CPL, T10, etc. As of now, R Ashwin has not said anything about playing other leagues around the world, but he might want to explore, considering his love for cricket. There are also a few media reports that suggest that Ashwin has shown interest in playing the next edition of the tournament “The Hundred”.
R Ashwin is deep into the cricket analysis and all. He also follows cricket all around the world, and talks about the matters on his YouTube channel. Let’s see if there is anything he has to say about playing the T20 leagues around the world. We shall find out soon. Till then, keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates.
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FAQs:-
(1) What is the age of R Ashwin?
A. As of August 2025, R. Ashwin is 39 years old.
(2) How many IPL wickets has R Ashwin taken in his career?
A. R Ashwin played a total of 221 IPL games and took 187 wickets at an average of 30.22 and a strike rate of 25.1.
(3) How many IPL trophies has R Ashwin won in his career?
A. R Ashwin has won two IPL titles in his career, both with CSK in IPL 2010 and 2011.
(4) For how many franchises has R Ashwin played for in IPL?
A. R Ashwin played for five different franchises in his IPL career.
(5) What was the highest price of R Ashwin in the IPL auctions?
A. CSK bought R Ashwin for INR 9.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, held in November 2024. It was his highest bidding price ever in IPL history.
