Former South African skipper AB de Villiers expressed his wish for Indian star Ravichandran Ashwin to represent his hometown team, Pretoria Capitals, in the upcoming 2026 SA20 season. Ashwin had announced his retirement from the IPL earlier this week, several months after stepping away from international cricket.
The 38-year-old, however, mentioned in his retirement statement that he is open to participating in other global leagues in the future. On the other hand, the Capitals have struggled to find consistent success in SA20, finishing as runners-up in 2023 but ending near the bottom of the table in the last two seasons.
Discussing Ashwin’s playing future on his YouTube channel, De Villiers stated (12:00):
“It will be fantastic for all the teams around the world, including the SA20. Hopefully he comes to the Pretoria Capitals and help my home team out. I will definitely be in his ear about coming to play the SA20.”
The Proteas legend also feels the ex-Indian spinner would be a huge asset, even in a non-playing role within a team.
“He has played a lot of cricket. He may be a scout for some team or a mentor. That sounds like a wonderful job. It is intense as you need to be at all the auctions, all the training sessions and team meetings. But he’ll do a wonderful job of finding talent and urging them in certain directions,” added De Villiers.
“Always Respect Players Who Study the Game”- AB de Villiers on R Ashwin
AB de Villiers praised Ravichandran Ashwin for his exceptional understanding of cricket. The talented spin-bowling all-rounder concluded his international career with 4,394 runs and 765 wickets in 287 matches across all formats. Ashwin was instrumental in India’s triumphs at the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
“What a scientist, doctor and professor of the game. He always took it to the limit with the rules book and generally got it right even though it was frowned upon sometimes. I always have respect for guys who study the game and he was one of those players,” said De Villiers (via the aforementioned source).
He further concluded:
“Incredible skill and a huge icon in India. He won so many games for Team India and CSK over the years. He also moved to a few other teams but never really settled in those teams. He should have always just stayed at CSK. It wasn’t always up to him obviously but I’ll always remember him as a yellow jersey guy.”
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