New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been heavily linked with different overseas franchise leagues following his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), was a notable absentee in the player auction list of SA20 2026.

Recently, Ashwin spilled the beans on his plans, saying that he could play two to three leagues in a year and is available to take up a coaching role for a franchise as well.

There were speculations that Ashwin could enter the SA20 2026 auction, considering players retired from Indian cricket being eligible to participate in the overseas league. However, to everyone's surprise, the 38-year-old's name was nowhere to be found on the SA20 player auction list.

Intially, there were speculations about BCCI's earlier one-year-long 'cooling-off' requirement still being in place. The policy was proposed in 2023, and Ambati Rayudu had to withdraw from the Major League Cricket (MLC) after retiring from the IPL. Various reports suggest that the policy was withdrawn after players expressed their dissatisfaction.

According to Wisden, Ashwin's absence isn't linked to any restriction but stems from his interest in participating in the ILT20 auction pool, as the tournament will be held around the same time as the SA20. While South Africa's T20 tournament begins in Decemeber and runs for a month, ILT20 will kick off on January 11 next year. With half of the tournament overlapping, Ashwin opted to compete in ILT20.

Last year, Ashwin announced his retirement from Test cricket in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The veteran all-rounder sent shockwaves through the cricketing fraternity by announcing his retirement from international cricket following the draw in the third Test at Brisbane.

After bidding adieu to international formats, Ashwin returned to the Chennai Super Kings and saw his side finish last for the first time in the history of the tournament. He enjoyed a mediocre run with seven wickets from nine appearances and had his last dance at Chepauk. (ANI)