New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin could be playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ashwin, who led Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), may move to the Delhi franchise in an all-cash deal, according to espncricinfo.

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Recently, DC mentor and former India captain Sourav Ganguly had said he would be happy to welcome Ashwin to the team.

"We would be more than happy to have Ashwin if KXIP is ready to release him," Ganguly had said.

In the 2018 IPL Players Auction, Ashwin was bought for Rs 7.6 crore by KXIP. He has played 28 matches for Punjab and picked 25 wickets besides scoring 146 runs. Delhi will have to pay Rs 7.6 crore to Punjab to buy Ashwin.

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Delhi already have seven specialist spinners in India’s Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Jalaj Saxena, Mayank Markande, J Suchith and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane. If Ashwin joins the squad the spin riches will swell further.

Many fans on Twitter made fun of Delhi’s move to include Ashwin after having already had so many spinners. However, the team could trade or release some before the start of IPL 2020.

Ashwin had previously played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). And if he joins Delhi, it will be his fourth team in the IPL.

In the recently concluded India-West Indies Test series, Ashwin was not selected for both the matches. The team management had preferred Ravindra Jadeja as the lone specialist spin option and captain Virat Kohli had explained why they kept Ashwin out. India won the series 2-0.