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In a high-profile transfer move, R Ashwin has rejoined the India Cements, paving way for his return to the Chennai Super Kings fold. As part of the deal, Ashwin is all set to take charge of the Chennai Super Kings High Performance Centre, which is coming up in the outskirts of the city and is expected to be fully functional before the start of the next IPL season.
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The transfer move means there is a strong possibility that Ashwin could reunite with CSK at the big player auctions scheduled for the end of this year. With this being a big player auction, a trade off between CSK and Rajasthan Royals is ruled out as they won’t be able to retain him. In case, CSK are not able to acquire Ashwin at the auctions, the only other possibility is they make a trade post the player auctions.
“That totally depends on the auction dynamics because we can’t have control over it. We have to wait and see if the opportunity presents itself,” CSK CEO Kari Viswanthan said. “First up, he will be taking charge of our High Performance centre, and will handle the cricketing side of it including the programmes and everything. We have signed him back. He is now part of the CSK venture and will also play for the India Cements teams in the TNCA First-Division,” he added.
R. Ashwin of Rajasthan Royals during match 44 of the Indian Premier League season 17 (IPL 2024) between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow (Faheem Hussain/ Sportzpics)
Ashwin’s move to India Cements has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years. Just ahead of the IPL, in an event to felicitate Ashwin’s landmark 100th Test 500 Test wickets, N Srinivasan who owns the India Cements was in lavish praise of the India cricketer. “You have a big role to play going forward,” Srinivasan had said at the event.
And with the HPC coming up, CSK believe Ashwin’s will have a huge role to play in taking it forward. With the franchise already having academies in different parts of the world, the HPC will be their one-stop place for their players from Chennai, Johannesburg and Texas to train round the year.
“Growing the game and contributing to the cricketing fraternity is my primary focus,” Ashwin said of his new role. The all-rounder is set to complete the formalities in the coming weeks when he comes back from a short break.
After beginning his domestic career on a promising note, Ashwin came to national prominence with CSK in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. His performances ultimately opened the national doors and had been an integral part of the franchise between 2008-2015.
This will be Ashwin’s second stint with India Cements and CSK. After joining the set-up in his early days of his IPL career, Ashwin had quit India Cements in 2016, joining their rivals Chemplast soon after. Then in 2018, Ashwin shifted base to Take Solutions, which owns Dindigul Dragons, the franchise that he represents in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
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