Star Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has recently announced his retirement from IPL and Indian domestic cricket. The decision came months after he retired from International cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the greats of the game and a legend for India in International cricket. He has 537 wickets in Test cricket and he has featured for Team India in many iconic victories, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. After India lost the Test series against New Zealand at home, Ashwin considered retirement and played his last Test at Adelaide in Australia. He featured in the IPL 2025 for Chennai Super Kings but didn't have a great season. After that, he retired from IPL and Indian domestic cricket to explore options in the global franchise market. 'I'll Try and Make All You Call Me Ash and Not Ravi' Ravi Ashwin Shares Message For Fans After Joining Sydney Thunder For Upcoming BBL 2025-26 (Watch Video).

The first breakthrough for Ashwin came in the Big Bash League of Australia. Ashwin signed a contract for Sydney Thunder and he will feature for them in the upcoming BBL 2025-26 season. It is a great opportunity for both Ashwin and the BBL as the Indian market, due to massive cricket fans, is viewed by every league as treasure trove. Given that, Ashwin's inclusion in the league will give them a viewership boost. For Ashwin, it is an opportunity to extend his legacy beyond India. He is already popular in Australia due to his exploits for Team India in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and with him performing for a BBL franchise, it will give them the backing of the local fans as well.

Ravichandran Ashwin is not the first Indian player to play in the BBL. The BCCI doesn't allow Indians to feature in any league outside the IPL. They only provide NOC's once the cricketer is retired from the IPL and the Indian domestic cricket besides Internationals. Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa have been cricketers who have played in leagues outside India after retirement. Meanwhile, fans eager to know the names of the Indian players who have played in the BBL before Ashwin, will get the entire information here.

Who are the Indians Who Played in the BBL Before Ravichandran Ashwin?

There are only two Indian cricketers who featured in the BBL before Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin is the third cricketer to feature in the BBL.

Unmukt Chand: Former Indian U-19 cricket team captain and world cup winner Unmukt Chand wsas the first Indian to play in the BBL. He retired from Indian domestic cricket in 2021 and became available for the other T20 leagues. Unmukt was aiming a move to USA to feature for them in International cricket. Eventually he got his US citizenship follow three years residency in 2024. But before that, he featured in the BBL 2025 as an overseas player. In the 2021-22 season, he played for Melbourne Renegades and became the first Indian to feature in the BBL.

Nikhil Chaudhary: Punjab cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary represented his state in the Indian domestic cricket. In 2020, he was playing club cricket in Brisbane when the COVID-19 outbreak happened and he was stranded in Australia. He continued to play cricket there and in 2023-24 season, he was picked up by Hobart Hurricanes as a local player. Since then, Nikhil has featured for the Hobart Hurricanes for two consecutive season. Ravi Ashwin Joins Sydney Thunder: Who Are Ex-Indian Spinner’s Teammates in the BBL Franchise?

Unlike men's cricket, BCCI provides NOC's to India women's cricket team members and they play in the BBL. India didn't have the Women's IPL or the WPL before 2023. That is why they used to allow the cricketers to play in other franchise league given the opportunity arrives. The women's cricketers to feature in the women's BBL are Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana,  Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav and Yastika Bhatia.

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