R Ashwin All Set To Join Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab May Get Two Players In Deal

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to join Delhi Capitals in a trade-off with Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). Ashwin, who had captained the KXIP for two seasons without much success, was supposed to join Delhi Capitals earlier but once Anil Kumble came on board, it was learnt that KXIP weren't ready to release their senior bowler.

"Yes, Ashwin is joining Delhi Capitals. The deal had earlier fell through as KXIP didn't get the two DC players that they wanted in a trade-off with Ashwin. Now they are getting those two players and it's 99 percent done," a senior BCCI official, privy to IPL trade-offs, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

However it couldn't be confirmed as to which two players Delhi will be trading. Earlier, speaking to IANS, Anil Kumble, Director of Cricket Operations of Kings XI Punjab, had expressed uncertainty over the future of Ashwin, saying that he had just come on board and it was too early to speak on the permutations and combinations that they were planning for the 2020 edition.

"No decision has been taken yet. I have just come on board, in the last one week. We will know in the due course the decisions we are going to make. I haven't got down to the details of the squad. The players we are going to retain, the players we are going to trade, none of those areas have been looked into," former India head coach Kumble had said.

The remarks came after KXIP co-owner Ness Wadia had said that the franchise had decided not to trade the spinner with DC. Under Ashwin's leadership, KXIP played well in the first half of the past two seasons before losing steam in the second half. They finished seventh in 2018 and sixth in 2019.