Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who currently holds the Purple Cap in IPL 2026 with five wickets in two matches. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin stated that it is time to give Bishnoi his due credit, especially after the leg-spinner faced heavy criticism for his performances with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season. The veteran spinner’s remarks came after Bishnoi’s match-winning spell of 4/41 against Gujarat Titans (GT), which earned him the Player of the Match award.
Ashwin also criticised the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management for their handling of the spinner last season, asserting that Bishnoi should have easily fetched a bid of over Rs 10 crore during the 2026 auction.
“It is time to give him credit. He has the Purple cap now, the cap looks good on his head because he had a challenging season with LSG last year. He was not even traded after that, he was just put back into the auction pool. I was so sure that he would go for 10-12 crores, and that did not happen,” said Ashwin, as quoted by Sports Tak.
The 39-year-old also took a dig at CSK for signing Rahul Chahar (Rs 5.2 crore) over Bishnoi, pulling out of the bidding war for the latter at Rs 5.8 crore. RR eventually capitalised on the hesitation, securing the current Purple Cap holder for Rs 7.2 crore.
“CSK pulled out at 7 [5.8] crores, because they were saying that there is not much difference between Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar. The way LSG handled him, that is why Ravi Bihsnoi’s stock value dipped. I am eagerly waiting to see Ravi Bishnoi’s comeback as Ravi Bishnoi 2.0,” he added.
Speaking after the match, Bishnoi said, “It was a difficult season last year. When I miss my length, I get hit. I was trying to work on my lengths, and if anyone hits off those, then no problem. Mental, technical and physical (effort) all together. Had to bowl a lot of balls (to keep improving).”
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