"It was just a bluff from their side" - Ravichandran Ashwin shares details about RR's unsuccessful trade attempts

Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently stated how many teams backed out of trade deals with the franchise at the very last moment on the road to the IPL 2023 mini auction.

The veteran cricketer opined that the franchises weren't keen to trade players, fearing that it would make the opposition stronger. Ashwin mentioned that RR had also closed on a few deals, however, the other franchises turned down the offers despite initially agreeing to them.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he remarked:

"The surprising thing about this year is that none of the teams wanted trades to happen. Because if a trade took place, one team will become stronger. In fact, we [RR] also tried a few trades but none of them took place.

"I knew that beforehand. Most of the teams agreed to give certain players. But eventually, it was just a bluff from their side."

Notably, Ashwin is one of 16 players retained by RR ahead of the impending auction. The event is scheduled to take place in Kochi on December 23 later this year. The inaugural champions have a remaining purse of ₹13.2 crore.

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"It will definitely affect the morale of the player" - Ravichandran Ashwin feels PBKS re-signing Mayank Agarwal at lower price at auction won't be ideal

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have released former captain Mayank Agarwal from their squad prior to the mini-auction. While there have been some reports that the franchise might consider buying him back at a lower price, Ashwin suggested that this could hamper the player's confidence.

He pointed out that Agarwal was one of the retained players last year. The 36-year-old emphasized that teams cannot reduce the price of certain players just because they failed to live up to their expectations in one season.

Ashwin added:

"Mayank Agarwal was their captain last year, and he was also a retained player. Did they see him from a price point when they released him? I saw the news that PBKS will release him and try to get him for a cheaper price.

"The thing here is you first value him and buy him for a price. You cannot decrease the price you paid one year and tell the player you will pay him lesser just because he didn't perform the way you wanted him to. It will definitely affect the morale of the player and his goodwill with the team."

The Punjab-based franchise released Agarwal in an attempt to spruce up its purse ahead of the auction. The opening batter was paid ₹12 crore in this year's cash-rich league. Veteran batter Shikhar Dhawan has been appointed as the captain for the new season.