Former England spinner Monty Panesar labelled Ravichandran Ashwin as a 'scientist of spin bowling' after the latter announced his retirement from IPL on Wednesday. Panesar further credited the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner of revolutionizing the art of spin variations in the shortest format.
“He first made his mark in the IPL as a T20 bowler, excelling especially in the powerplay, and gradually developed into a fantastic all-round cricketer and bowler across all formats," Panesar was quoted as saying by IANS.
“He maximised his learning, constantly developed new variations, and consistently outsmarted batsmen. That’s why he earned the reputation of being a true scientist of spin," he added.
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Ashwin decided to retire from IPL after featuring in 16 seasons of the league. The 38-year-old had featured for CSK in the 2025 season of the cash-rich league after getting signed by the franchise for a fee of INR 9.75 crore at the mega-auction held last year in November. He announced his retirement through a social media post where he reflected on the memories and relationships he formed with other players during his long journey in the competition.
"Special day and hence a special beginning. They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today," Ashwin wrote on his social media handle.
"Would like to thank all the franchisees for all the wonderful memories and relationships over the years and most importantly the @IPL and the @BCCI for what they have given me until now. Look forward to enjoying and making the most of what’s ahead of me," he added.
Ashwin's sensational numbers in IPL
The former spinner featured for a total of five different franchises in IPL, playing 221 matches and picking up 187 wickets. He is the fifth-highest wicket taker in the history of the league with his best bowling figures being 4/34. Despite the tournament being mostly dominated by the batters, the spinner maintained a commendable economy rate of 7.20.
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On the other hand, CSK was the IPL team Ashwin spent the most time with (8 seasons) and it is also the franchise where he achieved the most success. The 38-year-old was a part of the CSK side that lifted the IPL title in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.