Hong Kong-bound Ravichandran Ashwin becomes first Indian player to join Big Bash League

Former Test cricketer will join the Sydney Thunder early next year after playing at city’s Cricket Sixes, International League T20 event

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Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket last year and ended his Indian Premier League career last month, enabling him to play in the Australian league. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 25 Sep 2025Updated: 10:53pm, 25 Sep 2025

Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who is set to play in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes in November, has shattered a long-standing barrier by signing with Sydney Thunder on Thursday, becoming the first male Indian player to join Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).

His deal comes after he retired from international cricket in December and ended his Indian Premier League career last month, freeing him from the Indian board’s restrictions that bar male players from taking part in global franchise leagues.

While Indian women have participated in the women’s edition of the BBL, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has never allowed its male counterparts to join overseas T20 competitions, making 39-year-old Ashwin’s Thunder signing a historic moment.

“The Thunder Nation will welcome the biggest overseas signing since the league’s inception, with Ashwin set to become the first male player to have represented India to join a BBL club,” the team said in a statement.

“Ashwin will enter Thunder’s line-up in early January and ignite the club’s push to play in back-to-back BBL Finals.”

Ashwin in action for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League in April. Photo: Reuters

However, the crafty off-spinner will not immediately join Thunder’s campaign when the BBL season starts in December, as he has committed to the International League T20 tournament.

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