IPL 2022: "I am sure it continues to be magical and Midas as the man" - Ravichandran Ashwin on CSK dressing room

Ravichandran Ashwin feels the environment at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is still "magical and Midas" in the presence of their iconic former captain MS Dhoni. The veteran off-spinner compared CSK's dressing-room atmosphere to his current team Rajasthan Royals (RR), saying he is enjoying it with the Royals.

Ashwin spent most of his foundational years (2008-2015) at CSK. He remains the second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise with 120 scalps from 121 matches. He spent two years each at Rising Pune Supergiant, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals before being snapped up by the Royals at the IPL 2022 auction in February.

In an interaction with ESPNcricinfo, the 35-year-old said that while he didn't really expect to be in the Royals' dressing room, it is a fun environment to be apart of. He explained:

"CSK is a long-lost dressing room for me because 2015 to 22 is a long time away. So I've kind of lost touch with what's happening in the CSK dressing room but I am sure it continues to be magical and Midas as the man there's existing still now and he's going strong. To be very honest, it (Rajasthan Royals) is one of those dressing rooms that I wouldn't have expected to be in but I'm enjoying it. Really light, it's a lot of fun and also the people who wear the RR batch closer to their heart, behind their jersey are quite special so I'm kinda enjoying it."

Ashwin was also asked about his first interaction with RR's wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler. The two were infamously involved in a run-out controversy in 2018. The spinner called the narrative around the issue 'cute', adding that after a simple greeting, they had a "very good chat about the state of cricket".

He said:

"He said Hi! (chuckles) It's kind of beautiful and cute, I think, that narratives are built around incidents like this. He said Hi, I said Hi again and we ended up having a very good chat about the state of cricket around the world."

Ashwin's stint at RR got off to a slow start as he bowled a wicketless spell of 4-21-0 against SunRisers Hyderabad batting on March 29. According to the IPL 2022 schedule, he will next play against the Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

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"We are very, very interested in Women's IPL" - RR CEO to Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin also revealed a significant chat with RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum where the latter confirmed the franchise's interest in the much-anticipated Women's IPL. The off-spinner explained:

"The other day I was having a chat with the (RR) CEO. I read an article on some six teams possible for the women's IPL. I just wanted to check because there are 10 franchises at this point and Jake was up in the arms. He said, 'Of course! It's going to be something that we are very, very passionate [about] and very, very interested in.' So I just looked around the corner and said, 'OK, is there an opportunity that I can buy some team?' It's just too expensive for my liking (chuckles) but I'll be extremely thrilled to see what RR does."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially shown interest in the tournament. Established franchises like RR will get first preference to buy IPL teams. If there isn't enough interest, the BCCI will open offers to outside parties. A final decision will be made at the board's Annual General Meeting (AGM) later this year.