Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently said that he encouraged all Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to seek the services of Australian batter Tim David during the major auctions in 2025, but his advice was rejected.
David, who played for the Mumbai Indians in 2024, was released by the five-time winners and signed with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The right-handed batsman, famed for his big-hitting ability, failed to spark a bidding war when he was signed for INR 3 crore.
Ashwin believed that acquiring the destructive Australian batter at that price was one of the biggest bargains in 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.
Tim 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.
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