R Ashwin vs Harbhajan Singh - comparing their stats after 163 IPL matches

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the 2026 mini-auction. He finishes his career as the fifth-highest wicket-taker of the competition after making his debut in 2009.

13th on the list of the highest wicket-takers is Harbhajan Singh, who is unquestionably among the most gifted off-spinners India have ever produced, alongside R Ashwin. They had a similar way of operating as far as the basics was concerned, although Ashwin tried to step his game up with variations, while Harbhajan Singh was far more orthodox.

On that note, let us compare the stats of R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh after 163 IPL matches.

#1 Overall Stats

Although they never had a breakthrough 20-plus wickets campaigns, they were consistent and dependable frontline bowling options for their respective franchises. Both off-spinners did a brilliant job of controlling the middle overs and setting up bowlers from the other end, while managing to make breakthroughs of their own in the process as well.

There is not much to separate the two when it comes to the overall numbers up until the 163-match mark. Harbhajan Singh finished his career at that point, while Ashwin was midway through the 2021 IPL campaign at that stage.

Both of them boasted a similar wicket-tally and an economy rate. Harbhajan was slightly ahead when it came to wickets, while Ashwin was marginally better when it came to the economy side of things.

However, Ashwin eventually ended up with an IPL career economy higher than Harbhajan Singh as he was subjected to some harsh treatment towards the end against modern-day batters with their ultra-aggressive approach. His career economy rate after a forgettable IPL 2025 campaign read 7.20.

Player Name	Matches	Wickets	Economy
R Ashwin	163	142	6.91
Harbhajan Singh	163	150	7.11

#2 Stats for CSK

Both Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh have a common link of having represented the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and winning silverware with them. But their paths never crossed in the IPL as Ashwin left CSK after the 2015 season, and returned in 2025 while Harbhajan Singh played for the franchise in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The bulk of Ashwin's IPL franchises came for the Men in Yellow since he spent his formative years playing under MS Dhoni. Harbhajan Singh, on the other hand, was an integral part of the franchise after their return to the league following the two-year ban.

There is a massive difference in their contribution from a numerical point of view, but they were both impactful during their time with the team.

Player Name	Matches	Wickets	Economy
R Ashwin	106	97	6.68
Harbhajan Singh	24	23	7.67

#3 Wickets in winning causes

Spinners are among the biggest match-winning elements in T20 cricket, and the biggest way through which they can contribute is by taking wickets. Although defensive spinners are not widely renowned for their innate wicket-taking ability, and coercing batters into taking risks, the frenzied nature of the format means that they are also bestowed with wickets.

Both Harbhajan Singh and R Ashwin were instrumental in several of their respective franchises' biggest wins. The former's match-winning spell in MI's IPL 2013 Final win, and the latter's display in the 2011 IPL Final for CSK, are just two of the several examples where they were influential in wins.

Harbhajan Singh was part of 95 wins over the course of his IPL career, which is 58.2 percent of his total appearances. In those matches, he picked up 104 wickets at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 6.70.

R Ashwin, on the other hand, picked up 90 wickets in winning causes across his first 163 IPL appearances. At the end of his career, he picked up 117 wickets in 119 wins at an average of 25.02 and an economy of 6.69.

Player Name	Wickets
R Ashwin	90
Harbhajan Singh	104