Having announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), R Ashwin has emerged as a free bird, ready to chart new paths. With his vast experience in international and franchise cricket, it now seems almost certain that he will expand horizons and explore opportunities in overseas leagues. Word is, he is open to try out a dual role - testing the waters as a coach-cum-player.
POST RETIREMENT PLANS
Ashwin eyes player-cum-coach path in overseas leagues
Post IPL retirement, Ashwin is set to explore opportunities in overseas leagues © BCCI/IPL
Ashwin still has plenty left to offer and is far from done. At 38, he is hardly past it; after all, MS Dhoni is six years older and still going strong. Ashwin now appears to be re-calibrating his career with a three-to-four-year horizon in mind, exploring opportunities beyond the familiar. On his radar are at least three overseas franchise leagues - with Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US a certainty, The Hundred in England a strong possibility, and either the ILT20 in the UAE or the SA20 in South Africa likely to complete the mix.
SA20 may not be possible this year since all the franchises - all of them are IPL owners - seem to have locked in their signings. As reported earlier by Cricbuzz,