Seven years have passed since the IPL 2019 moment that reignited the debate around “Mankading,” when Ravichandran Ashwin ran Jos Buttler out at the non-striker’s end during a Punjab Kings versus Rajasthan Royals game. The dismissal, widely discussed for its controversial edge, quickly turned into a tense exchange on the field and brought the larger question of cricket’s spirit versus the rulebook back into focus. Buttler was given out and walked off visibly frustrated, and while time has moved on, the incident has again surfaced in conversations—this time with Ashwin insisting there was nothing improper about what he did.
Speaking on JioStar’s The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience, Ashwin framed the issue as a matter of the laws of the game rather than intent. “If the ICC thought this was an honesty problem, they wouldn’t keep it in the rules. If you need two runs off one ball and you start running early, whose fault is it?” he said. He also addressed the suggestion that the run-out was motivated purely by winning. “People say I did it to win. Of course, I did it to win. What is there to be ashamed of?”
Ashwin further explained how the team reacted immediately after the dismissal. “After I ran him out, I told the team… ‘don’t worry about the reaction, I will handle the media, we just have to win.’ And we won. So, there is no issue of character in this,” he added, emphasizing that the focus after the moment was to secure the result.
Looking beyond that single flashpoint, Ashwin also reflected on his overall IPL journey. With 187 wickets from 221 matches across the years 2009 to 2025 and five different franchises, he said his time with Punjab Kings—despite being a leading figure in 2018–19—did not quite feel like his own build. “When Punjab picked me in 2018, I knew I was moving on… I spent two years there and honestly gave it everything,” he said.
He then elaborated on how he viewed his role during that period, suggesting the structure of the squad never fully centered on him. “But I have a slight feeling that I couldn’t make that team my own. At an auction, you get the chance to build your team… the team couldn’t quite be built around me. I may not have achieved much as a Captain, but the learnings were immense,” Ashwin explained.
Rajasthan Royals, however, brought a different kind of satisfaction. “I spent three years there, and that stint helped me make a comeback to the Indian team. The way RR utilised me was first-class, and I enjoyed my cricket there like nowhere else,” he said. While praising the environment and the way his skills were used, he reserved one personal disappointment. “My only small regret is that I couldn’t win a title with RR… That was one small regret,” Ashwin concluded.
