Ravindra Jadeja likely to lead Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 - Report
Ravindra Jadeja is likely to lead the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026 after the all-rounder was traded by the CSK for Sanju Samson.
New Delhi: Ravindra Jadeja returned to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) after the all-rounder was traded by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Sanju Samson. This move completes a homecoming for Jadeja, who made his IPL debut under Shane Warne in 2008.
Jadeja was banned in 2010 after attempting to negotiate a contract outside the auction, which saw him depart. After months of negotiations between RR and CSK, the trade has been finalised, ending the long speculations on social media.
According to the Times of India report, sources close to the franchise confirmed the website that Jadeja is a strong contender for RR captaincy, and an official announcement is expected in a couple of months. He will get the captaincy role ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag.
"Jadeja will be given the reins. The announcement will be made in January," sources said as quoted by TOI.
'Sanju was personally and emotionally drained': RR owner
Sanju Samson, who captained the franchise to the 2024 final and playoffs in 2023, has expressed his desire to make a fresh start in the league despite being retained for Rs 18 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was RR's leading run scorer in the IPL and Champions League, amassing 4219 runs in 155 matches at a strike rate of above 140.
"The first time this year—or in the past year—that Sanju talked about moving on was probably in Kolkata towards the end of the season. We had a meeting after the game. He’s a very honest guy. He was personally and emotionally drained," RR owner Manoj Badale.
Chennai Super Kings MD Kasi Viswanathan has called the decision to trade Jadeja as one of the toughest for the franchise. He said that the team management felt the need for an Indian top-order batter and hence they had to take this call.
"It is a very tough decision leaving out Jaddu, who has been responsible for the success of CSK over the years. When I spoke to Jadeja, he was also very clear that if there is an opportunity for him... because he felt he is at the fag end of his white-ball career, he can have a break," CSK MD said.
The upcoming IPL 2026 Auction will be held on December 16, the BCCI confirmed on Saturday, November 15. The one-day auction will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.