Chennai, April 7 -- Ex-India off-spinner R Ashwin revealed that he could have played IPL longer had it not been for a "mentally disturbing" and "painful" phase that he went through during his time with CSK. On his YouTube show 'Ash Ki Baat', the veteran, who retired from international cricket in 2024 before ending his IPL run last year, said: "...I recently spent a disappointing season with CSK, it was a disappointing season for me personally. Honestly, in my mind, I could have played more, but I quit because emotionally, I just did not have the bandwidth to play while managing everything else." Ashwin, before announcing his IPL retirement, had sought clarity from CSK about his role after being used sparingly during the season. "I don't want to go there, it's mentally disturbing. It was very painful for me. I don't want to go there. I discussed a little, then I said, I started in Chennai, I am finishing in my hometown, it's fine. I decided to retire as it saved them the trouble of having to decide whether to retain me or release me. They also saved Rs.10 crore purse with me going," he said. Ashwin was brought in for Rs.9.75 crore by the franchise, which still derives its identity from a 45-year-old talisman in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ashwin said they had the purse to build a stronger squad with younger players....