“@chennaiipl ok ah?” - R Ashwin cheekily seeks CSK’s approval over fan’s MS Dhoni query for IPL 2025

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will ply his trade for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former Rajasthan Royals (RR) player was roped in by the five-time IPL winners for a whopping INR 9.75 crore at the mega auction last month.

Ashwin, who announced his international retirement after the conclusion of the third Test in Brisbane, is more active on social media nowadays. He recently shared an Instagram story in which a fan requested Ashwin to ask former India skipper MS Dhoni to bat in the top order in IPL 2025.

In reply, the 38-year-old cricketer tagged CSK's official Instagram account on his Instagram story to seek their approval.

Here's the screenshot of the story:

Ravichandran Ashwin tags CSK on his Instagram account. (Image Credit: Instagram/@rashwin99)

Ashwin will return to his native franchise in the IPL after almost a decade. He played for the Super Kings from 2009 to 2015 before the franchise was banned due to match-fixing allegations.

He spent seven seasons with CSK and took 90 wickets in 97 matches. His best season for Chennai came during their title-winning run in 2011, where he took 20 wickets in 16 games at an economy rate of 6.15. His best figures of 3/16 that season came in the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Ashwin will hope to have a similar impact on his homecoming as he inches closer to the fag end of his career.

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"He does most basic things right" - Ravichandran Ashwin on what makes skipper MS Dhoni stand apart from the rest

MS Dhoni is arguably the best Indian captain to have ever played the game. He has three ICC titles to his name as a skipper - the 2007 T20 World Cup, ICC ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Ashwin recently mentioned what sets captain Dhoni apart from the rest.

"It's a very simple question to answer in my head. He does most basic things right, and most other captains miss the basic elementary things. It makes the game look much more difficult for them," Ashwin said via Times Now.

"He would never, for example, if he gave the ball to the bowler, the first thing he would say, 'take your field and bowl to the field'. He hated that when a batter came to bat, and you would bowl a loose delivery," he added.

Besides his success as an Indian captain, Dhoni has also enjoyed immense success as CSK's skipper in the IPL. He has won five IPL titles as captain - the joint-most alongside Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma.