The fascinating equation between Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to take another twist after the Indian off-spinner took a cheeky dig at the England captain. Ashwin and Buttler were embroiled in one of the IPL’s most controversial moments in 2019 and then became teammates for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2022.
Now, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler will once again be seen as the rivals in the world’s biggest T20 extravaganza, as they will represent two different franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT), in the IPL 2025.
Ravichandran Ashwin speaks on Jos Buttler Mankading incident
Speaking about the controversy dates back to 2019 when the Indian off-spinner created a storm by running out the England wicketkeeper at the non-striker’s end, often referred to as “Mankading,” during an IPL 2019 match between Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Rajasthan Royals.
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At that time, Jos Buttler was cruising at 69 off 43 balls in a high-stakes chase of 185 runs. The controversial dismissal by Ashwin sparked a fiery debate about the “spirit of cricket” among the cricket fraternity and also led to a heated on-field exchange between the two players.
In an interesting turn of events, Ravichandran Ashwin joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2022 and shared a dressing room with Jos Buttler till the 2024 season. However, the upcoming IPL 2025 will see them back in different dugouts.
Ravichandran Ashwin has made a homecoming to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after being acquired for INR 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Buttler was signed up by the Gujarat Titans for a hefty INR 15.75 crore.
Ashwin takes a cheeky dig at Buttler after IPL 2025 Auction
Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin took a cheeky dig at the Englishman while speaking with the journalist Vimal Kumar on his Instagram handle as they were talking about the IPL mega auction. Ashwin said that Buttler is a very nice person and soft-spoken, but he goes out of the crease again and again before bursting into laughter.
The Indian off-spinner also mentioned that the Royals had the opportunity to bring Jos Buttler back at the auction, and even they could have used the RTM card, but they didn’t, and Gujarat Titans made the most of their poor decision.
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Ashwin can be heard saying in the viral video: “Banda bahut acha hain, soft spoken person, par crease k bahar jata hai. 2-3 baar ho chuka hai. (Buttler is a very nice person, soft-spoken, but he goes out of the crease. This has been at least 2-3 times. Otherwise, he is an awesome person. Rajasthan Royals were advised to retain him, but they didn’t).”
The Indian spinner also hailed IPL auctioneer Mallika Sagar for her great work across the two days in Jeddah. She had made history in 2024 as the first female IPL auctioneer.