As a former cricketer and now an established commentator, Sanjay Bangar has theorized that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) may want to release Ravichandran Ashwin for next year IPL. CSK were eliminated from IPL 2025 after succumbing to a defeat against Punjab Kings, and they have missed IPL playoffs for two consecutive years for the first time in history. Following this dismal performance, Bangar put forward speculations regarding the changes in the team, pondering the possibility that CSK could release Ashwin for the sake of freeing up salary space since he hadn’t been used much during the ongoing season.
Keeping Ashwin could be a big consideration because that’s where their money is tied up. If they wish to free up some budget, they might consider not using him as much as they have this season. So Ashwin and Pathirana are among their big players who they consider bringing in or moving out, Bangar said on Star Sports.
CSK bought Ashwin at a hefty price of Rs 9.75 crore in the previous auctions, but he has let them down. He has taken five wickets in seven innings at an average of 44.60 and with an economy rate of 9.29. His best performance this season was 1/31 in four overs against the Mumbai Indians in the first game. He also took two wickets against Punjab Kings, giving away 48 runs in four overs. His ongoing poor performance is one of the reasons CSK has had such a bad season.