Former India off-spinner R Ashwin brushed aside social media trolling with the same composure he once used to outsmart batters with his carrom ball, after some users accused him of leaking Chennai Super Kings’ auction picks during the IPL mini-auction on Tuesday, December 16.
Ashwin responded with disbelief to the claims, pointing out how easily misinformation spread online. When a troll accused him of giving rival franchises an unfair advantage, the veteran spinner replied with a meme, remarking that some people seemed more interested in spreading venom than facts.
‘Faith in my tweets’: Ravichandran Ashwin hits back at auction claims
The controversy erupted after a social media user shared screenshots of Ashwin’s predictions related to CSK, alleging that they were posted just minutes before the players came up for bidding. The user claimed the posts could have alerted other teams, allowing them to drive up prices.
Ashwin had predicted that Chennai Super Kings would bid for uncapped players Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma shortly before their names appeared at the auction. CSK eventually secured both players, paying a record ₹14.2 crore each.
Responding sarcastically, Ashwin wrote, “The Orange Army had Muralitharan, Vettori, analysts and scouts sitting at the table and yet showed faith in my tweets.”
Known for advocating more thoughtful fan engagement, Ashwin was deeply involved in discussions leading up to the IPL auction. He hosted multiple shows on his YouTube channel, analyzing uncapped Indian players and even conducting a mock auction featuring cricket fans.
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The off-spinner has remained highly active on social media, regularly releasing analytical content on YouTube and interacting with followers on X. Ashwin retired from international cricket midway through last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the five-Test series between India and Australia.
Ashwin returned to Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2025 after an 11-year gap, having been bought for ₹9.75 crore. While his comeback generated significant excitement, the season proved underwhelming, with the off-spinner managing seven wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 9.12.
Speculation over his future intensified ahead of the retention deadline, but Ashwin had already announced his IPL retirement in August—a move that caught many by surprise. He ended his IPL career with 187 wickets in 221 matches.
Ashwin later signed with the Sydney Sixers for the Big Bash League but was ruled out due to a knee injury sustained during training, denying him the chance to become the first Indian player to feature in Australia’s T20 league.
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