Ashwin in talks with four BBL clubs, set to play latter stages of tournament

R Ashwin is set to become the first capped male India player to play in the BBL with four clubs vying for his services to play in the latter stages of the upcoming season.

It is understood that Sydney Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers are the four teams chasing Ashwin's signature in what is set to be a major coup for the BBL. Thunder and Hurricanes appear to be the frontrunners for the India great with a deal likely to be finalised later this week.

No internationally capped India male player has played in the BBL previously, but Ashwin's retirement from the IPL earlier this year has opened the door for him to play franchise cricket overseas for the first time.

Only retired Indian players are allowed by the BCCI to participate in overseas T20 leagues. Earlier this year, Dinesh Karthik played for Paarl Royals in the SA20. In 2023, Ambati Rayudu turned up to play for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL, and then in January 2024 with MI Emirates in the ILT20. Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan featured for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20. Two years ago, Suresh Raina was part of Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.

Ashwin has already committed to the first-ever ILT20 auction in the UAE, which will take place next Tuesday. If bought, he will play out the ILT20, which has changed dates for the upcoming season and will now run from December 2 until January 4.

The BBL begins on December 14, and the home-and-away part of the season runs until January 18. The finals will be held between January 20 and 25. It means Ashwin will be available for three-four games at the end of the season for one of those teams, plus finals should the team he signs with qualify. ESPNcricinfo understands that his deal will also include the BBL for the 2026-27 season.

BBL clubs can only play three overseas players in their XI. Each of the clubs has already locked three players in via the league's pre-signing rules and the June overseas draft. Clubs can sign an additional four overseas replacement players, meaning they can have up to seven on their list, but only three can play at any one time. Also, if any of the teams release an international player for SA20, Ashwin could fit in as a replacement for him.

The league rules state that replacement overseas players have to nominate themselves for the draft, which Ashwin did not as he had not retired from IPL cricket at the time. But there is an exemption for overseas players to be allowed to play in the BBL if their circumstances have changed. Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill was previously signed by Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 after retiring from international cricket despite missing the inaugural BBL overseas draft. England star Nat Sciver-Brunt was allowed to play for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL after being cleared by the ECB, having initially been ruled out of nominating for the draft due to injury.

The club that signs Ashwin will still have to fit his salary inside their overall purse, much of which will already have been allocated for most squads, but there will likely be an additional marketing agreement with Cricket Australia that will not count towards the salary cap for the team that lands him.

Teams can also go over the cap by 5% in a particular year with approval from the league's technical committee, provided that it is offset over a three-year period.