Former India offspinner R Ashwin has been ruled out of the rest of MLC 2026 with a right knee injury. Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle will replace Ashwin, having already impressed with the ball as cover for Xavier Bartlett and Aaron Hardie.

“I’m disappointed to end the season early, but unfortunately, this injury means that’s the right decision,” Ashwin said in a statement from the franchise. “I’ve truly loved my time with the San Francisco Unicorns and will be cheering the boys on for the rest of the tournament. Thank you to my team-mates, the coaching staff, everyone across the San Francisco Unicorns organisation, and all the Unicorns fans for your incredible support.”

Ashwin played just one game for Unicorns this season, on June 20, when he bowled two wicketless overs for 24 runs against Texas Super Kings in Dallas.

In Ashwin’s absence, captain Matt Short, who is Unicorns’ top wicket-taker this season, has shared the spin load along with rookie wristspinner Anirudh Immanuel and left-arm fingerspin-bowling allrounder Hassan Khan.

Ashwin’s next assignment will likely be the inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), where he is set to captain and mentor Dublin Guardians, one of the six franchises in the competition. The tournament will run from August 26 to September 20 in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.

Ashwin had retired from international cricket in December 2024 and then from the IPL at the end of the 2025 season.

Unicorns are currently at the top of the MLC points table with five wins in eight matches so far.