Ravichandran Ashwin EXPOSES himself for working as a Talent Scout for IPL teams while playing for CSK

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about how he had spotted Tim David’s potential and had warned the franchises to keep an eye on the Australian big hitter ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, but they ignored him completely.

Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that he had advised a few IPL teams, possibly Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well, to go for Tim David at the IPL 2025 mega auction, but none of them took his suggestion seriously, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) grabbed the opportunity.

Ravichandran Ashwin claims IPL teams ignored his warning on Tim David

Notably, Mumbai Indians had released David before the mega auction, and when David’s name came up, there wasn’t much competition. But the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took advantage of the opportunity and bought him for just INR 3 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had joined the bidding war briefly but dropped out early. After joining the RCB, the Australian big hitter proved his worth in style.

David played the finisher’s role and scored 187 runs at a remarkable average of 62.33 and an explosive strike rate of 185.15. His quick scoring in crunch moments added a valuable edge to RCB’s batting firepower and helped them win the title.

Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, "I shouldn't say this, but I told the decision-makers of a few IPL teams to pick him before the last auction. They all said, 'No, his game has dropped off drastically.' I believe the future of T20 cricket is going to be having tall batters with long levers and strong builds. They are going to rule the roost if there are no changes brought to the wide line.”

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Tim David was a real steal for RCB: Ravichandran Ashwin

Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin praised RCB for taking the gamble, which has already proven to be a bargain deal for only INR 3 crore, given the Australian power hitter’s explosive form with the bat in 2025. Notably, David has been in sensational touch for Australia this year.

In just 5 matches, the 29-year-old has smashed 265 runs at a blistering strike rate of 212.00. Tim had smashed his maiden T20I century against the West Indies and forced the Australian team management to move him higher up the batting order against South Africa.

Ravichandran Ashwin signed off by saying, “A player RCB picked up at base price (INR 3 crore) has taken his game to the next level. It's good to see Australia sending him up the order. A real steal for RCB.”

Tim David says Australia’s fearless approach will continue in T20Is

Meanwhile, Australia’s T20 side continued with their fearless and attacking cricket encouraged by the coaches. And Tim David has been the best example of this approach. The powerful batter smashed 83 runs from just 53 balls, leading Australia to a 17-run win over South Africa.

David said after being adjudged Player of the Match in Darwin: “We’ve been playing together as a group now for a while, so there’s not a great deal of instruction from the coaches. They trust the players. We trust ourselves to go out there, and we understand the game situation. We make decisions on the fly because that’s the nature of T20 cricket. You can probably expect to see that a little bit from our team. That’s how we think we play best.”

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