Ashwin eyes player-cum-coach path in overseas leagues

Having announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), R Ashwin has emerged as a free bird, ready to chart new paths. With his vast experience in international and franchise cricket, it now seems almost certain that he will expand horizons and explore opportunities in overseas leagues. Word is, he is open to try out a dual role - testing the waters as a coach-cum-player.

Ashwin still has plenty left to offer and is far from done. At 38, he is hardly past it; after all, MS Dhoni is six years older and still going strong. Ashwin now appears to be re-calibrating his career with a three-to-four-year horizon in mind, exploring opportunities beyond the familiar. On his radar are at least three overseas franchise leagues - with Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US a certainty, The Hundred in England a strong possibility, and either the ILT20 in the UAE or the SA20 in South Africa likely to complete the mix.

SA20 may not be possible this year since all the franchises - all of them are IPL owners - seem to have locked in their signings. As reported earlier by Cricbuzz, the SA20 auction register is also done. In fact, the SA20 auction ahead of season 4 is less than two weeks away - on September 9. A direct signing, outside of the auction and outside of salary cap, is a possibility but the wild card signings seem to be complete.

The ILT20 is a potential target this year. Five of the six franchises are owned by Indians and all of them should be too happy to roll out the red carpet to Ashwin if there is a possibility. The ILT20 auction is on September 30 and there too the teams are allowed one signing outside of the salary cap and auction.

It should be seen how it pans out but it is understood that officials from all the leagues are believed to have reached out to him, including from the Big Bash League in Australia, after he announced IPL retirement on Wednesday (August 27). A player-cum-coach role seems a natural fit for him, given his skills and cricketing acumen. Throughout his career, he has been regarded as one of the game's most cerebral cricketers.

Post-retirement, Ashwin appears to have no dearth of options. Commentary could be one prospect, while his cricketing brain also makes him a potential candidate in administration too - it is even believed that some of the out-of-the-box suggestions to the last IPL retention rules came from his inputs to the BCCI. For now, though, his focus remains firmly on extending his playing career for the years left.

Contacted, Ashwin did not spell out his plans and merely said, "I really want to enjoy my last couple of years hopefully without any judgements from anyone. I wanna live life on my terms."