35-year-old Murugan Ashwin on May 25 announced his retirement from Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket via a social media post. Murugan,who made his IPL debut for now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giants and played his last IPL match for Rajasthan Royals, thanked all the franchise he has been a part of. His last domestic cricket appearance was in a Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 game for Jammu & Kashmir.
“Since I started playing cricket at the age of six, I have been deeply in love with the game, and it has blessed me abundantly. Cricket has shaped me into the person I am today and allowed me to truly express myself on the field. It’s been an incredible ride so far, and on that note, I would like to share an update with you all,” Ashwin wrote in an Instagram post.
However, the 35-year-old will continue to play cricket in T20 leagues.
“I would like to announce that I have decided to call time on my domestic cricket career and my journey in the IPL. I will, however, be exploring new challenges and opportunities, and I look forward to continuing to play the game as competitively as always,” he said.
List of franchises Murugan has played for
The Chennai-born spinner made his IPL debut under MS Dhoni's leadership against Mumbai Indians (MI). He got the wicket of Ambati Rayudu and conceded just 16 runs from four overs. He has been part of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). In his IPL career, he has played 44 games and picked up 35 wickets at an average of 33.20. His economy rate is 8.01 runs per over.
“My decade-long experience in the IPL gave me the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game and play under the leadership of legendary cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rohit Sharma. These experiences have helped me work on myself and become a better cricketer since my debut in 2016,” he added.
He thanked cricket associations of Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh for helping them. He also expressed gratitude towards his teammates, coaches, trainers and physios.
Murugan Ashwin’s domestic record in numbers
Murugan made his first-class debut in 2012 but managed to take just one wicket from seven games. In List A, his record was better with 35 scalps in 34 games at an average of 38, including a five-wicket haul. In T20s, he has 115 wickets at an average of 25.38. He has never taken a four-wicket haul in T20s.