Former South African captain AB de Villiers wished for Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin to play for his hometown side, Pretoria Capitals, in the upcoming 2026 SA20 season. Ashwin announced his IPL retirement earlier in the week, months after calling it quits in international cricket.However, the 38-year-old confirmed exploring other global leagues in the future in his IPL retirement statement. Meanwhile, the Capitals have been one of the most underperforming franchises in SA20 history.After finishing runners-up in 2023, they finished second from bottom in the last two seasons.Talking about Ashwin's future as a player on his YouTube channel, De Villiers said (12:00):"It will be fantastic for all the teams around the world, including the SA20. Hopefully he comes to the Pretoria Capitals and help my home team out. I will definitely be in his ear about coming to play the SA20."The Protea legend also believes the former Indian spinner will be a massive asset even as a non-playing member of a side."He has played a lot of cricket. He may be a scout for some team or a mentor. That sounds like a wonderful job. It is intense as you need to be at all the auctions, all the training sessions and team meetings. But he'll do a wonderful job of finding talent and urging them in certain directions," added De Villiers.Ashwin endured a torrid final season in the IPL this year, picking up only seven wickets in nine matches at an average of 40.42 and an economy of over nine."Always have respect for guys who study the game" - AB de Villiers on R AshwinAB de Villiers hailed Ravichandran Ashwin for his incredible knowledge about the game. The spin-bowling all-rounder finished his international career with 4,394 runs and 765 wickets in 287 matches across formats.The veteran helped India win the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy."What a scientist, doctor and professor of the game. He always took it to the limit with the rules book and generally got it right even though it was frowned upon sometimes. I always have respect for guys who study the game and he was one of those players," said De Villiers (via the aforementioned source).He concluded:"Incredible skill and a huge icon in India. He won so many games for Team India and CSK over the years. He also moved to a few other teams but never really settled in those teams. He should have always just stayed at CSK. It wasn't always up to him obviously but I'll always remember him as a yellow jersey guy."Ashwin also helped CSK win their first two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011, finishing as the league's fifth-highest wicket-taker with 187 scalps in 221 outings.