In front of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, which is set for December 16, former India head coach and renowned cricketer Anil Kumble has spoken out against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) selling senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to the Rajasthan Royals (RR). In addition to expressing surprise at Jadeja’s transfer decision, JioStar expert Kumble questioned if the talented all-rounder could assume leadership responsibilities of the 2008 champions RR.
The renowned cricket player went on to say that the Royals have a number of candidates for captain, including Sam Curran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag.
It is a significant move for Ravindra Jadeja to return to the Rajasthan Royals. In general, CSK doesn’t let go of its players, particularly a player with Jadeja’s caliber who has been with them for a long time. They let him leave, which astonished me. Sanju Samson joining CSK is undoubtedly a wise decision for them in the interim. It’s interesting to note that Jadeja’s salary was reduced from 18 crore to 14 crore. The crucial question is if Jadeja could be offered captaincy by Rajasthan. A new captain must be found.They have a number of options: youthful Dhruv Jurel has the appropriate attitude, Yashasvi Jaiswal has long dreamed of being captain, Riyan Parag led them in a few games last season, and Sam Curran is an overseas alternative. Ravindra Jadeja thus emerges as an intriguing candidate for their leadership position, according to Kumble.
Five-time champions CSK and one-time winners RR engaged in a heated trade prior to the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
In return for all-rounders Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja, former RR captain Sanju Samson joined the Super Kings.
While Jadeja and Curran moved to RR for INR 14 crore and INR 2.4 crore, respectively, Samson, who managed the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to CSK for INR 18 crore.
It’s interesting to note that Jadeja, who CSK previously hired for INR 18 crore in IPL 2025, will get a new contract with RR for the next IPL season.
Jadeja has participated in 27 IPL games for RR overall. For the Rajasthani team, the all-rounder has taken six wickets and scored 430 runs.
