Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has signed for San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket. The off-spinner, who stepped away from international cricket in December 2024 and later concluded his IPL journey following the 2025 season, will participate in a foreign league for the first time in his career. Earlier, he signed for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, but the veteran couldnโt join the squad, owing to an injury.ย
His move comes after a recent appearance in an exhibition match in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, where the response from fans left a strong impression on him.
“Just looking at the reception that the Asian diaspora was able to bring for that game just showed me what the potential of American cricket could very well be. It’s very exciting. The fact that there is so much interest from the kids and from a lot of people who have come and settled in America and showing so much interest towards the game, I just wanted to come and experience what it is going to look like when we turn up for the MLC,” Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo.
“We are standing at one of the crux points for the game where it is fighting and fighting to break free in terms of globalising the particular sport,” he said. “So I think there will be a lot of freewill over the next decade in terms of how much people will want to engage and how many people will want to jump on-board,โ he added.
MLC CEO reacts to Ashwinโs move
The decision places Ashwin among a growing list of players contributing to cricketโs rise in the United States, a market gaining attention ahead of the sportโs return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. League organisers see his signing as a significant moment in their development.
“This will be the first time he’s played in a major global franchise competition outside of India. And for us to be the first league to attract a player of this calibre is a testament to how the league’s developed over the last three years since it was launched back in 2023,โ Johnny Grave, the MLC chief executive, said.
The upcoming MLC season is scheduled to run from June 18 to July 18, with matches set to take place in Texas, Los Angeles and Oakland, where the final will be held.
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