-Karthik Gurumurthy

I'm deeply disappointed to learn about Ashwin's retirement from the IPL and I am honestly really bummed about the whole Ashwin situation. He had been genuinely excited about returning to CSK and contributing to the success of the franchise that originally gave him his breakthrough opportunity. The way some CSK fans treated him was just not cool - constantly judging everything he did and acting like he could never do anything right. It's pretty sad to see such an amazing player who's given so much to the game get treated like that, whether we're talking about his time with CSK, Team India, Dindigul Dragons, TN or any other team he's played for.

I'll never forget that incredible game at Brabourne in 2022 when Ashwin basically stole the show for RR. We'd flown all the way from LA just to watch MSD and CSK play, but man, watching Ashwin completely turn that game around was something else. Sure, we were bummed that CSK lost, but you couldn't help but respect how Ashwin stepped up and showed off his batting skills when it mattered.

The thing about Ashwin is he's always been really honest and upfront about stuff, but that just made him an easy target for fans who wanted to criticize everything. It got to the point where he probably felt like he had to watch every little thing he said or did, which is just wrong.

And don't even get me started on how CSK used him last season - it was pretty frustrating to watch. Unfortunately, his utilization last season was quite underwhelming, with limited opportunities to showcase his abilities. It's particularly frustrating when you consider that other players, who arguably contributed far less to the team's cause, received significantly more chances. This disparity in team selection and opportunity allocation seems inherently unfair, especially for someone of Ashwin's caliber and proven track record. Back in 2011, he was killing it as an off-spinner in the powerplay, but over the past few years, he's become this incredible middle-overs bowler who's constantly trying new things and basically playing mind games with batters. But CSK just didn't seem to get that and didn't really play to his strengths.It's a disappointing end to what could have been a meaningful homecoming story.

What I've always loved about Ashwin is how smart he is about the game. He's got this great eye for spotting new talent, he really understands what's happening on the field, and he knows which stats actually matter and which ones are just noise.

I really hope he has a blast in other leagues like The Hundred and SA20. Hopefully he'll get the freedom to try new stuff and help his teams win some championships. He deserves that chance to just enjoy playing cricket again.