Former India off-spinner R Ashwin has revealed that he could have played the Indian Premier League (IPL) a bit longer had it not been for a “mentally disturbing” and “painful” phase that he went through during his time with Chennai Super Kings.

On his YouTube show ‘Ash Ki Baat’, the veteran, who retired from international cricket in 2024 before ending his IPL run last year, said he decided to call it quits to save the franchise the dilemma of deciding his fate.

“I recently spent a disappointing season with CSK. It was a disappointing season for me personally. Honestly, in my mind, I could have played more, but I quit because, emotionally, I just did not have the bandwidth to play while managing everything else,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin, before announcing his IPL retirement, had sought clarity from CSK about his role after being used sparingly during the 2025 season. He appeared in only nine of CSK’s 14 matches in what was to be his homecoming after starting his IPL journey with the same team.

The franchise, which was at the bottom of the heap last season, is continuing to struggle and has already logged three back-to-back losses under Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Published on Apr 06, 2026