Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin could get released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. With just five wickets in seven matches, Ashwin has failed to justify the Rs 9.75 crore sum CSK paid to re-sign him at the IPL 2025 mega auction. With CSK crashing out of the playoff race on Wednesday, following the loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) at home, Bangar predicted that CSK might release Ashwin and pacer Matheesha Pathirana to free up their purse for the IPL 2026 mini auction.

“Whether they retain Ashwin or not is going to be another big question because that’s where the money is locked in. If they want to free up their purse a little bit, in the knowledge that they might not want to use Ashwin as much as they have used in this particular season. So, probably out of those big-ticket players, those are the two players (Ashwin and Pathirana) that they might just think of whether they want to keep them or maybe find a replacement for them,” Bangar told JioStar.

Former CSK spinner Harbhahjan Singh, on the other hand, slammed the team management for not utilising Ashwin properly, questioning the logic behind paying such a huge amount for the veteran.

“Chennai didn’t select the team based on conditions. Had Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played together against Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings could have won the match. You didn’t pay Rs 10 crore for Ashwin to bench him. I don’t know why he is not playing, but it seems he might have fought with someone,” Harbhajan said.

“He is not the only one who hasn’t performed. Others are still playing despite their ordinary performances, but Ashwin is out of the team. He should have played against Punjab, as the ball was spinning,” he added.