Ravichandran Ashwin’s career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) began and ended at Chennai Super Kings and the former spin great revealed how it is that the team’s captain MS Dhoni took notice of him. Ashwin’s first IPL appearance came in the second season of the tournament, which was played in South Africa. However, he had been part of the squad since the first season in 2008, having been picked by CSK as a domestic player. “Muttiah Muralitharan was in the team, a legend, bowling his full quota, so I wasn’t getting chances (to play for CSK). I didn’t play in 2008, but in 2009, I got my first game in Cape Town, against Mumbai Indians, against Sachin Tendulkar. Between 2009 and 2010, I still didn’t get many opportunities,” said Ashwin who retired from all forms of international cricket in December 2024. While he made only two appearances in the 2009 season, Ashwin’s role jumped up from the next year and he became a regular in the playing eleven after that. He recalled that that he had once dismissed Dhoni in the Challenger Series, a domestic List A tournament that was held from 1994 to 2014. “In the Challenger Trophy, I got a chance to bowl to Dhoni. Dhoni got out twice against our team. Once, he hit a shot towards deep cover and I took a diving catch. I celebrated it so much that he actually got annoyed. “He (Dhoni) was like, ‘What’s there to celebrate so much?’ I told him, ‘Getting your wicket was my dream. Maybe this will open a door for me in CSK.’ The next year, I got my chance.” If one includes the 2008 season in which he didn’t get a game, Ashwin spent a total of eight seasons in his first stint with CSK, forming an integral part of the teams that won the title in 2010 and 2011 and the Champions League in 2011 and 2014. He then spent one season with Rising Pune Super Giant, with CSK being suspended that year. Ashwin then spent two seasons as captain of the Punjab Kings in 2018 and 2019 before spending two seasons with the Delhi Capitals. This was followed by a three-year stint with Rajasthan Royals and finally, Ashwin returned to CSK for what turned out to be his last IPL season in 2025.
How leaving Dhoni ‘annoyed’ led to a chance at CSK for Ashwin
