Previously, he won only two of the eight matches as CSK's skipper in the IPL 2022.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) veteran Ravindra Jadeja’s trade to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) has taken aback the fans ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, after Sanju Samson’s departure from the Royals’ squad, there have been discussions among the fans regarding whether the team will elect Ravindra Jadeja as their skipper for the IPL 2026.
In an exclusive interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, RR owner Manoj Badale has opened up about deciding their next skipper before the forthcoming season of the cash-rich league. He was questioned about whether the CSK all-rounder’s captaincy prospects were a part of their conversations ahead of the trade. But Badale dismissed any discussions on the matter as of now.
“Not really. And it’s not part of the conversation right now. We have got probably six or seven players that could be RR captain,” he stated.
Following the IPL 2025 debacle, the franchise is eager to register a huge turnaround in the subsequent edition. Badale revealed that they are taking one step at a time and did not want to shift the focus away from the crucial trade by discussing the captaincy prospects. He also emphasised the upcoming IPL 2026 auction as the next goal for strengthening their core before moving on to the leadership decisions.
“We didn’t want to get into that and embark on that part of the process until we knew the trade was happening. Now that the trade is done, our absolute short-term focus is the auction. Once the auction is done, our next focus then will be the captaincy process,” noted the Rajasthan Royals owner.
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The team owner went on to elaborate on how the three dimensional all-round skills of the 36-year-old made him a strong choice for the Sanju Samson deal. Moreover, Jadeja’s initial two-year stint with the franchise also helped to bring him back in the Royals’ setup.
“There is a nice narrative about returning home and coming back to where he started, but in truth, that’s been a bigger theme for him. He called me when CSK informed him that he was up for trade. He was so happy to be coming back to RR,” added Badale.
Notably, the all-rounder has won three IPL silverwares in his 12-year-long stint with CSK. Jadeja also played a pivotal role in their fifth title-winning campaign in 2023, hitting a six and four when 10 was needed off the final two balls.
But the key figure of the Men in Yellow squad had started off his IPL journey with the Rajasthan Royals, winning the inaugural edition of India’s domestic T20 league back in 2008. After a star-studded chapter with the Super Kings, Jadeja would want to embrace his homecoming for the IPL 2026.
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