Ravichandran Ashwin has agreed to a historic contract with the Sydney Thunder, which will be one of the team's biggest acquisitions in Big Bash League history. According to Fox Sports, an official announcement is anticipated later this week.
The report further states that Thunder have already secured the services of New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson and Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan during June’s Draft, with English wicketkeeper Sam Billings already committing to the club on a multi-year deal.
Ashwin could come up against former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Steve Smith in a mouth-watering Sydney derby against the Sixers at the SCG on January 16.
Ashwin to play BBL
As per the report, Todd Greenberg, the CEO of Cricket Australia, contacted Ashwin, who retired from Test cricket last year, earlier this month to see if he would be interested in playing at the Big Bash. The 39-year-old will join the Thunder after the ILT20 concludes in early January, playing with players like David Warner and Sam Konstas, as first reported by CODE Sports.
Ashwin has committed to playing the full duration of the United Arab Emirates tournament, which ends on January 4. He will be put up for auction at the ILT20 Auction next week.
How is Ashwin qualified to play in the BBL?
In order to become a franchise cricket free agent and look into opportunities at other T20 leagues, the Indian superstar announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League. Indian players who are currently playing for the national team or the IPL are prohibited from competing in other T20 tournaments.
The veteran off-spinner, who has 187 wickets at 30.22 and is the fifth-leading wicket-taker in IPL history, would be a huge draw for the Indian expat community in Australia, driving up television ratings and ticket sales.
The first Indian to play in the BBL was Unmukt Chand, who represented the Melbourne Renegades in two matches during the 2021/22 season. However, the former India A representative had already pledged his allegiance to the United States.
