R Ashwin Responds As Fan Accuses Him Of Leaking Players CSK Were About To Target At IPL 2026 Auction

Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from international cricket and the Indian Premier League, but his keen interest and knowledge of the game keep him connected to it. The spinner, who now plays overseas tournaments post his IPL retirement, was putting up his analysis on social media on the IPL auction day, December 16, as well. He had predicted that five-time champions and his former team Chennai Super Kings would go big for uncapped players Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma. This is exactly what happened minutes after Ashwin's post.

Taking screenshots of Ashwin's predictions, a fan alleged that the legendary spinner's post minutes before the final result hampered CSK's strategy as other franchises got an idea of the players the five-time champions were targetting at the auction.

Apart from CSK, SunRisers Hyderabad too went hard for both the players but ended up losing the final bid to the side.

While reacting to the user's claim on social media, Ashwin took a subtle jibe at him. "The Orange Army had Muralitharan, Vettori, Analysts and scouts sitting at the table and yet showed faith in my tweets," he wrote.

The Orange Army had Muralitharan, Vettori, Analysts and scouts sitting at the table and yet showed faith in my tweets. https://t.co/Q5r9W07VCW

— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) December 17, 2025

Prashant and Karthik became the joint-most expensive uncapped Indian players to be signed by an IPL franchise, getting Rs 14.20 crore each from CSK during the IPL Auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Prashant, an all-rounder from UP, also got attention with a massive bidding war between Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, CSK, Rajasthan Royals and SRH. It was the five-time champions CSK that persisted until the last and secured him for Rs 14.20 crore.

He has been a solid performer for UP in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), scoring 112 runs in six innings at an average above 37, a strike rate above 170, and a best score of 40 not out. He also took nine wickets in seven matches at an average of around 18.

On the other hand, Karthik is a rising wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan. He has played 12 T20s matches and 11 innings, scoring 334 runs at 30.36 and a strike rate of 162.92, with two fifties.

In the Ranji Trophy, Sharma has played five matches and six innings, scoring 331 runs at a superb average of 55.16, including two centuries.

(With IANS Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Ravichandran Ashwin Chennai Super Kings IPL 2026