CSK will ponder releasing R Ashwin for next season to free up purse: Sanjay Bangar-OxBig News Network

Former India cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Bangar feels Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might think about releasing Ravichandran Ashwin for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). CSK became the first team to get knocked out of the IPL 2025 after a four-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 49 of the tournament.

As a result, the five-time champions failed to qualify for the playoffs for two successive seasons for the first time in their history. Following CSK’s dismal show, Sanjay Bangar predicted the possible changes in their squad. The former batter stated that the team management might think about releasing Ashwin to free up some purse amount as they haven’t used him much in the ongoing season.

IPL 2025: CSK vs PBKS Highlights

“Whether they retain Ashwin or not is going to be another big question because that’s where the money is locked in. If they want to free up their purse a little bit, in the knowledge that they might not want to use Ashwin as much as they have used in this particular season. So, probably out of those big-ticket players, those are the two players (Ashwin and Pathirana) that they might just think of whether they want to keep them or maybe find a replacement for them,” said Bangar on Star Sports.

Ashwin was bought by CSK for a whopping Rs 9.75 crore at the mega auction. However, the veteran spinner has failed to live up to his standards, having picked just five wickets from seven innings at an average of 44.60 and an economy of 9.29.

Ashwin registered his best figures of the season in the opening game against the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he finished with figures of 1/31 in four overs. He also scalped two wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS), leaking 48 runs in his four overs in Mullanpur. Hence, the 38-year-old failed to make a valuable contribution to the team and became a major reason for CSK’s downfall.