Ravichandran Ashwin finds no buyers in ILT20 Auction and goes unsold

The Dubai event presented one of the biggest surprises: Ravichandran Ashwin finds no buyers in ILT20 Auction and goes unsold. His starting price of $120,000 failed to attract any interest from any club. A player of such caliber, and not a single bet. This makes one wonder how skill is valued in the T20 format today.
Ravichandran Ashwin finds no buyers in ILT20 Auction and goes unsold: a principled position
But the story doesn’t end there. Ashwin himself reacted with his characteristic self-respect. He has stated outright that he has no intention of “selling himself at a discount” and is quite happy not to play if his value doesn’t match his expectations. “This is the minimum I wanted, and at this stage of my career, I’d rather miss a tournament if my price wasn’t met,” he noted. Do you feel this principled position? It’s not an offense, but the conscious choice of a veteran who knows his worth.
Behind the scenes, however, another drama was unfolding. There were rumors that Ashwin might have withdrawn his application at the last moment, having already been contracted to Sydney Thunder of the Big Bash League. This adds layers to the whole situation: if he had remained in the auction, would there have been a few generous suitors for him? We’ll probably never know for sure. But his decision to choose the Big Bash League feels like a breath of fresh air, becoming the first Indian player of his caliber to take part in the tournament. His phrase that ” Thunder were crystal clear about how they were going to use me” speaks for itself. Sometimes you need more than just a salary, but a clear plan and trust.
So where does the fact that Ravichandran Ashwin finds no buyers in ILT20 Auction and goes unsold? His journey from the IPL to the BBL breaks conventional patterns. Perhaps he was simply ahead of his time. Or maybe it’s a sign of things to come for other Indian stars. One thing is certain: there’s still room for principles and unexpected decisions in the world of cricket.
Tactical moves and high-profile acquisitions of other clubs
While the Ashwin controversy raged, Desert Vipers quietly hit the jackpot, becoming the only team to take a risk on Pakistani players. This happened just a day after the Pakistan Cricket Board suspended all permits for participation in overseas leagues. Why is that? It’s a mystery. But Vipers didn’t lose their nerve and picked up Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, and Hasan Nawaz at their base prices. A bold move in an unpredictable situation.
Other high-profile acquisitions include West Indian wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher, who went for $260,000. Meanwhile, Pakistani-Emirati bowler Junaid Siddique sparked a bidding war, in the end returning to the Sharjah Warriors. His recent form in the Asia Cup, where he took nine wickets in three matches, simply couldn’t go unnoticed.