Ravichandran Ashwin Points Out The One Reason Why He’s Awe-Struck by MS Dhoni

In his final IPL season, Ashwin also fell out of favor with his beloved franchise, leading to rumors that he had requested to be released by the CSK management. Ashwin concludes as the all-time fifth highest-wicket taker in the IPL, having scalped 187 wickets in 221 matches, at an average of 30.23. During his career, he not only played for CSK, but also captained the Punjab Kings and played for the Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

Despite having pulled down the curtains on his decorated IPL career, Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that he wanted to play in 2026 but opted against it due to the physical and mental demands. On his YouTube channel, the 38-year-old talked about the challenges of playing in the IPL, noting the difficulties a player faces in the later stages of their career when traveling and playing non-stop for three months.

I thought about playing the IPL next year. But three months of IPL started feeling a bit too long. It’s not easy with travel, playing the match and the recovery process. And this travel-match-recovery cycle becomes an emotional rollercoaster.

Furthermore, the Ashwin also talked about MS Dhoni, who continues to play in the IPL despite having turned 44, this year. He spoke highly of Dhoni’s unparalleled commitment as well as stated that he is amazed that the former India captain is still playing T20 cricket. R Ashwin might have announced his retirement from the IPL, but hinted at the possibility of exploring opportunities in leagues outside India.

It’s why I am amazed by someone like MS Dhoni. Though he plays only those three months of IPL, as you age, the bandwidth for those three months keeps reducing.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni continues to defy expectations, amid rumors that he might not turn up to play in the IPL in 2026. The 44-year-old during the 2025 season, even made history by becoming the oldest player to lead an IPL team, following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season-ending injury. 

Former Chennai Super Kings Pacer Shares Rare Insight into the Other Side of MS Dhoni’s Personality

Former Chennai Super Kings pacer Mohit Sharma, most recently, opened up about a shocking moment when MS Dhoni, known for his calm demeanor, lost his cool and abused him. The incident as Sharma pointed out, occurred during a CLT20 match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Mohit Sharma played the formative years of his IPL career under MS Dhoni’s leadership at CSK. He was a part of the Men in Yellow from 2013 to 2015, during which he impressed with 57 wickets in 47 matches. After a few quiet seasons, the 36-year-old had a remarkable resurgence in the 2023 IPL season, where he led the Gujarat Titans to the final and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 27 scalps.

Sharma, in an interview with Crictracker, most recently revealed that MS Dhoni once lost his cool at him. In a rare occurrence, Mohit Sharma disclosed that he was abused by Dhoni for mistakenly taking his run-up to bowl, instead of Ishwar Pandey. The Haryana-born pacer then revealed that Dhoni got angry and lashed out at him, even after Sharma had scalped Yusuf Pathan’s wicket off the first ball of that over. 

I had a lot of moments. Mahi [MS Dhoni] bhai has a cool and calm aura. There was a moment in the CLT20 against KKR… he lost his cool at me and abused me.

Nonetheless, Mohit Sharma, laughing off the incident, also talked about the things that he learned from the legendary Indian captain. He said that Dhoni’s advice off the field helped him not just as a cricketer, but also as a person, and that he considers the 44-year-old to be a teacher.