'I think he has the dream to win an IPL trophy as a captain': R Ashwin's statemate reveals he wants coveted trophy as leader after TNPL triumph

Tamil Nadu batter Baba Indrajith has lauded Ravichandran Ashwin for his captaincy after Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) triumph with Dindigul Dragons. Indrajith said that he has a good cricketing brain and has a dream to win an Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as a captain. 
 

"Of course, everyone will see him as a captain, he has a very good cricketing brain. He’s always thinking of getting one up over the batter or the bowler. He has all the leadership qualities, I think he has the dream to win an IPL trophy as a captain, so why not," Indrajith told cricket.com days after Ashwin led Dindigul Dragons to their maiden IPL title.
 

Ashwin had recently revealed that during IPL 2024, he felt that there is a need for him to widen his game. He scored 252 runs in the TNPL 2024 season and scored three consecutive half-centuries in eliminator, qualifier and the final. He was impressive with the ball too taking nine wickets in the season.
 

"His involvement was not just in his skills but other players' skills as well, not just on-field but off-field as well. In the last 30-35 days, including the camp [10 days], he was involved throughout. Right from the first person to the 20th person, he was involved with all, constantly pushing them to increase their fitness and strength. I don’t think even a head coach would have done as much as him," said the 30-year-old.

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Ashwin’s IPL captaincy record

Ashwin had previously led Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2018 and 2019. The Punjab-based franchise continued to their streak of not making it into playoffs during these two seasons. Under Ashwin’s captaincy, PBKS won 12 out of 28 games.
 

It will be interesting to see whether Ashwin gets retained by Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL mega auction. His retention will also depend on the number of retentions allowed by the board. 

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Ashwin back in action in September

The 37-year-old will be back in action on the international stage when India take on Bangladesh in the two-Test series. The spin-bowling all-rounder played his last Test match against England in March 2024.
 

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