San Francisco Unicorns rope in R Ashwin for MLC 2026
R Ashwin (Source: IG/@Rashwin99)
Published - 28 Mar 2026, 05:29 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has signed up to represent the Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise San Francisco Unicorns for the 2026 season. The 39-year-old will become the first former India international player to be a part of the USA-based T20 franchise league. Personally, it will also be the first instance of the player participating in an overseas T20 league.
Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Not long after, the decorated off spinner retired from the IPL as well following the 2025 season in which the Tamil Nadu player made his return to his first franchise Chennai Super Kings. The Chennai-born was slated to play for the Big Bash League (BBL) team Sydney Thunder for the 2025-26 season but a knee injury which required surgery ruled him out of the tournament.
Class, control, and spin.
— San Francisco Unicorns (@SFOUnicorns) March 28, 2026
Ravichandran Ashwin is a Unicorn 🦄✨ Who guessed it?
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/UrEThI0HR7#SFUnicorns #GoCorns @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/06WUpzvdwy
My absolute focus is to help this franchise win games: Ashwin
In a statement issued by the Unicorns, Ashwin expressed his excitement over the signing and praised the league for being able to attract high quality talent from around the world. The former India player affirmed his commitment to the franchise and expressed his determination to help it win its first title.
"The MLC has proven over recent seasons that it can put on a show, bringing in world-class players and offering significant exposure to US domestic cricket talent, and the opportunity to be a part of it with the San Francisco Unicorns was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
“Taking on the mantle as the first Indian-capped player to compete in Major League Cricket is a major responsibility that I fully embrace. My absolute focus is to help this franchise win games and push for its first Championship, while also putting on a spectacular brand of cricket for the Bay Area fans,” stated Ashwin.
MLC 2026, which will be the fourth iteration of the US-based league, will begin on June 18 and continue for a month until July 18. Like before, the upcoming season will comprise six teams which will compete in a total 34 matches.
