“Give the option to the player” - Ravichandran Ashwin shares insight into RTM cards ahead of IPL Auction 2025

Ravichandran Ashwin has always been loud and clear about his opinions and in what was yet another input on the existing rules, he made it clear that the Impact Player Rule has seen many youngsters, who would have otherwise been buried, take the centerstage.

Talking to Kris Srikkanth on his YouTube show called “Cheeky Cheeka”, Ashwin highlighted the names of the youngsters who came forth in the limelight because of the Impact Player Rule. He also dropped an explosive remark about why the Right to Match cards should have a critical change, empowering players to make a few calls of their own.

Ashwin said, “Shahbaz Ahmed, Shivam Dube most importantly, Dhruv Jurel… If not for the Impact Player rule, he may have never gotten the chance. So the emergence of a lot of players has happened. I'm not saying that's the only way for players to emerge, but it's not so bad."

Talking about the RTM ahead of IPL’s mega-auction at the end of this year, Ashwin said, “If a franchise has released a player because they don't see him in their top four or five, then what gives them the right to jump in during an auction. You give the option to the player asking if he wants to be right to matched. There should be a contract binding the two parties, which says he can be RTMed only if the price is X amount and leave that predetermined amount to be decided by the player."