Ravichandran Ashwin joined Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals from Kings XI Punjab in a trade deal which saw KXIP getting Rs 1.5 crore and Karnataka spinner Jagadeesha Suchith, ending a series of intense negotiations over the India spinner’s future in the tournament. Under Ashwin’s leadership, KXIP showed a lot of promise in the first half of the past two seasons before losing momentum in the second half. They finished seventh in 2018 and sixth in 2019.
After the deal, Ashwin thanked the KXIP fans for their support and also said that he will miss his teammates.
“It has been a wonderful journey with Kings XI Punjab. I will always look back fondly at the two years I spent with the Kings and will miss all my teammates. I am looking ahead to new challenges. I would also like to thank the fans for their endless support over the two years, it was incredible to see them come out and support their team,” he said according to the official Kings XI Punjab website.
KXIP coach Anil Kumble also reacted to Ashwin leaving KXIP and thanked him for his contributions.
“It was important for Ravichandran Ashwin to be a part of Kings XI Punjab but it’s now time to look towards the next step,” the recently-appointed Director of Cricket Operations and Head Coach Anil Kumble said. “We will look at strengthening the squad at the auction to ensure that we have a well-balanced team as we enter the new IPL season.”
“We thank him for his contribution to the team over the last two years and wish him well in his future endeavours,” Kumble added
Ashwin played 28 matches for KXIP where he took 25 wickets with the best performance being 3/23. He also scored 144 runs with the bat and guided them to 12 wins in the tournament.
