“Would love to come back home”: Ravichandran Ashwin states CSK as his dream team when questioned on likely return to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022

Ravichandran Ashwin states CSK as a dream franchise for any cricketer as reports of him being picked by the franchise arise.

After a thrilling and action-packed IPL retention event, which witnessed the eight current franchises retain some of their key players ahead of the 2022 auctions, the focus shifts towards the two new entrants- the Lucknow and Ahmedabad teams who will in all likelihood make their respective debuts in the 15th edition of the lucrative league next year.

They are expected to draft in a maximum of three players (two Indian and one Overseas) as the initial picks in their squad, before all the franchises join them for the mega auction set to take place by next month.

With the Ahmedabad team still waiting for clearance by the BCCI over charges of its links with overseas betting firms, the deadline (December 25) for submitting the three drafted players may get extended by a week or so.

But, as far as the defending and four-time IPL champions- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is concerned, the franchise has reportedly decided upon its initial set of players they would be targeting during the 2022 mega auction.

Ravichandran Ashwin states CSK as a dream franchise for any cricketer

Indian team all rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, is also, as per reports, one of the players the Chennai Super Kings management will potentially target to bid for during the auction in 2022.

While answering the questions put forward before him by his fans via his YouTube channel, Ashwin in fact termed CSK as his dream franchise.

The 35-year-old was asked by one of his fans as to how does he feel coming back to home. The question was apparently in reference to his possible homecoming back to the CSK camp.

Ashwin, as his reply, termed CSK as one of his dream franchise, and that it has always been close to his heart.

Maintaining that most of it (CSK bidding for him) depends on the auction dynamics, Ashwin said, “If you go and ask any cricketer whether they’d like to play for CSK, not even a single cricketer would say ‘NO’, because that is the kind of franchise CSK is. Its records, rich history, the way they take care of its players, every player would want to play for CSK.”

“Also, Tamil, Chennai, Tamil Nadu- these are all the things that are extremely close to my heart and ones I am extremely passionate about,” Ashwin further added.

Ashwin was a crucial part of his previous franchise- Delhi Capitals for the past three seasons when they managed to reach the playoffs each time around. He however, couldn’t be part of the 4 players retained by the Capitals ahead of the 2022 auction.

The Tamil Nadu all rounder broke into the scene for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2009 and remained in their scheme of things till IPL 2015.