'Told them to pick Tim David' - R Ashwin reveals how IPL teams ignored his advice in 2025 auction

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently revealed that he had advised all the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to look to acquire the services of Australia batter Tim David during the mega auctions 2025 but his words were ignored.

David, who played for Mumbai Indians in 2024, was released by the five-time champions and went under the hammer, where he was roped in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The right-handed batter, who is known for his big-hitting prowess, failed to start a bidding war as he was signed for just INR 3 crore. Ashwin felt that having the destructive Australian batter at that price was one of the biggest steals of the IPL mega auction for RCB.

"I shouldn't say this but I told the decision makers of a few IPL teams to pick him before the last auction. They all said, 'No, his game has dropped off drastically '," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"I believe the future of T20 cricket is going to be having tall batters with long levers and strong build. They are going to rule the roost if there are no changes brought to the wide line. A player RCB picked up at base price (INR 3 crore) has taken his game to the next level. It's good to see Australia sending him up the order. A real steal for RCB," he added. 

David had a remarkable season with the bat for RCB in IPL 2025. He amassed 187 runs from nine innings at an average of 62.33 and a strike rate of 185.15. The 29-year-old played a crucial role in RCB winning their maiden title.

In the ongoing three-match T20I series against South Africa, the Singapore-born has been in scintillating form, scoring blistering half-centuries in the first two encounters in Darwin. The series is tied at 1-1 and the third and final match takes place at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns on Saturday, August 16.