Ravichandran Ashwin set to join Sydney Thunder in historic BBL deal: Reports

The reports further state that Thunder could make an official announcement next week. However, with Ashwin having not registered for this year’s BBL overseas player draft, Fox Cricker reports that Cricket Australia would need to grant an exemption for his participation in the tournament. The Thunder had signed up Pakistan’s Shadab Khan and New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson in the draft that took place in June while England’s Sam Billings is already committed to a multi-year deal. Ashwin won’t be the first Indian to play in the BBL. That mantle is held by Unmukt Chand, who had played for the Melbourne Renegades in two matches during the 2021/22 season.

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This makes the BBL the third major league that Ashwin is slated to feature in, after the ILT20 and England’s The Hundred. Reports of him set to play in The Hundred next year emerged soon after Ashwin announced his retirement from the IPL. The Daily Telegraph said in a report that it “understands that Ashwin would be eager to play in next season’s Hundred tournament.”

“Ashwin plans to play in several leagues around the world over the coming years, and has identified the Hundred as a competition in which he would be eager to appear,” the report stated.

Ashwin had announced his retirement from the IPL on August 27 this year. He had taken 187 wickets from 221 games at an average of 30.22 and economy of 7.20, and with the bat, he scored 833 runs coming down the order with a solitary half-century to his name. Ashwin had won the league in 2010 and 2011. His retirement had come shortly after he ended his illustrious Test career during India’s tour of Australia earlier this year.

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