Veteran Indian off-spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to switch teams from Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) franchise to the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Yes, it was a work in progress and we were waiting for the signature of one of the KXIP directors before going ahead with the deal. The team management believes looking at the last season that he can play an integral role on the kind of wickets that we play on at home,” a DC official told IANS.
R Ashwin was roped in by the King XI Punjab in their squad at the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League for Rs 7.6 crore. He also went on to lead the team in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons Ashwin scalped 15 wickets in 14 matches for Kings XI Punjab side in IPL 2019.
Overall, Ashwin has as many as 125 wickets to his name in 139 IPL matches at an economy of just 6.79. Notably, this is the best economy among Indian bowlers with more than 50 wickets.
KXIP have not been able to make it to the final four since 2014. In the 2014 season, they had finished as runners up. Punjab along with Delhi are the two franchises who have not yet clinched the IPL trophy.
With Ashwin moving to Delhi, Punjab are also looking for a captaincy option and KL Rahul has emerged as the favourite as of now. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals are also in negotiations with Rajasthan Royals as they are attempting to bring in Ajinkya Rahane for the next edition of the biggest cricketing league in the world.