'Ravindra Jadeja becomes another interesting possibility for their leadership role.'
Spin great Anil Kumble picked all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as a top candidate for captaincy at the Rajasthan Royals, following his blockbuster trade from the Chennai Super Kings last week.
Royals swapped Captain Sanju Samson to CSK in exchange for the dynamic all-rounder duo of Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of IPL 2026.
Jadeja enjoyed a long, successful, stint with CSK since 2012 except two seasons when the franchise was banned. The all-rounder was part of three title-winning campaigns at CSK -- 2018, 2021 and 2023 -- picking up more than 150 wickets and scoring over 2,300 runs in the iconic yellow jersey.
In a stunning move, Jadeja agreed to return to the Royals, where he played the first two seasons of IPL, taking a pay cut from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore.
Royals are now in the hunt for a new captain following the depature of Samson, who led them since IPL 2021. He steered Royals to the IPL 2022 final, their first title clash since 2008 where they lost to the Gujarat Titans. He is also the only Royals captain to have led the team into two IPL playoffs.
'Ravindra Jadeja returning to Rajasthan Royals is a big move. Generally, CSK doesn't let go of their players, especially someone of Jadeja's quality who has had a long relationship with them. I was surprised they let him go,', Kumble told JioStar.
'Meanwhile, Sanju Samson coming to CSK is certainly a great move for them. Interestingly, Jadeja has also taken a pay cut from 18 crore to 14 crore. The big question is about captaincy -- could Rajasthan offer it to Jadeja?' Kumble asked.
'They need to find a new captain. They have several options -- Riyan Parag led them in a couple of matches last season, Yashasvi Jaiswal has always harboured captaincy dreams, young Dhruv Jurel has the right temperament, and there's overseas option Sam Curran. So Ravindra Jadeja becomes another interesting possibility for their leadership role.'
Former India wicket-keeper Saba Karim explained the reason behind Jadeja's decision to return to the Royals.
'It's time for fans to move on from emotional attachments. What had to happen has happened and now fans will have to get used to seeing Ravindra Jadeja in the pink jersey instead of the usual yellow one. Yes it's tough but the league shows maturity when players and teams make tough decisions,' Karim told JioStar.
"I think Jadeja wants a new challenge at this stage of his career and probably that's the reason why he agreed to join the Rajasthan Royals. Now it's upto the RR team management to see how they can build a young team around a seasoned campaigner like Jadeja and turn them into winners.
'Rajasthan often starts well but falls apart later. Maybe Jadeja can hold them together. He loves such challenges, which is likely why he joined them. We have seen Ravindra Jadeja always loves these kind of challenges. So I think that's the kind of challenge he is willing to accept.'
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