Reports | KXIP to trade Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of next IPL season
Reports have suggested that Kings XI Punjab are looking to not only strip Ravichandran Ashwin off captaincy but also trade him ahead of next season’s IPL. Punjab had bought Ashwin, and handed him the captaincy, in the 2018 Mega Auction after he was not retained by Chennai Super Kings.
Punjab started off last season well by winning four of their first six games and many pundits appeared to give them a chance of making the playoffs. But six losses in the next seven games ensured that the team not only missed the playoffs but finished sixth in the final standings to mark the end of another disappointing campaign.
Mumbai Mirror has now reported that the franchise is looking to offload their skipper ahead of next season and already have two teams interested in the trade. While Delhi appear to be the favorites to land the talented offie, Rajasthan have reportedly offered Punjab a swap deal with Krishnappa Gowtham going the other way.
The move, however, will have no impact on the salary of the player as that would just be transferred onto the next team’s wage bill. Ashwin, who was acquired for 7.6 crores in the 2018 Mega Auction, is unlikely to be handed the captaincy at any of the new teams, who appear to have a settled leadership group already created. Mirror reported that the deal is imminent and it could be completed soon.
“A week more is needed to finish the process,” Mirror reported a source saying.