3 min readMay 8, 2026 06:52 PM IST Ravichandran Ashwin’s career in the Indian Premier League (IPL) began and ended at Chennai Super Kings and the former spin great revealed how it is that the team’s captain MS Dhoni took notice of him. Ashwin’s first IPL appearance came in the second season of the tournament, which was played in South Africa. However, he had been part of the squad since the first season in 2008, having been picked by CSK as a domestic player. “Muttiah Muralitharan was in the team, a legend, bowling his full quota, so I wasn’t getting chances (to play for CSK). I didn’t play in 2008, but in 2009, I got my first game in Cape Town, against Mumbai Indians, against Sachin Tendulkar. Between 2009 and 2010, I still didn’t get many opportunities,” said Ashwin who retired from all forms of international cricket in December 2024. While he made only two appearances in the 2009 season, Ashwin’s role jumped up from the next year and he became a regular in the …