Ravindra Jadeja or Yashasvi Jaiswal? Rajasthan Royals finalize new captain for IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals moved Ravindra Jadeja to their squad with a trade-in from Chennai Super Kings, and since the move, Jadeja's name has surfaced in the race for captaincy for the Rajasthan Royals.

The veteran CSK all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, who is well known to have had an impact with both bat and ball, has moved to his former franchise, the Rajasthan Royals. He started his IPL career with the franchise back in 2008 and was part of the Shane Warne-led side that won the first title of the IPL.

Sanju Samson (traded to Chennai Super Kings), Nitish Rana (traded to Delhi Capitals), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, and Ashok Sharma were the players who were released by the Royals in different ways.

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Ravindra Jadeja is the frontrunner for the Rajasthan Royals' captaincy

As revealed since the talks over Ravindra Jadeja's probable swap were unleashed, there have been speculations claiming that he might be roped in as the Rajasthan Royals' new skipper for the next season.

Sanju Samson, the former skipper, was swapped in a trade with the CSK team; hence, the captain's spot lay vacant within the team. Rajasthan Royals have players like Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal who could become the new Royals skipper.

According to a report in the Times of India, Jadeja is now considered one of the top choices for captaincy for the upcoming season of IPL. This has shocked all to an extent since the other three options cited before looked pretty young to be considered as a long-term option, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Jadeja, who is 37 years old.

Jadeja will officially be made the Captain after the mini-auction

Back in the IPL, Ravindra Jadeja was handed the leadership duties of Chennai Super Kings back in 2022, when the talks about MS Dhoni's leadership hit a high note. However, after some losses, the all-rounder succumbed to pressure and quit captaincy.

“Jadeja will be given the reins. The announcement will be made in two months," a source was quoted as saying by TOI. Now, the captaincy might be what lured Ravindra Jadeja to join the Rajasthan Royals, as he even agreed to a huge INR 4 crore pay cut to join the Royals.

Ravindra Jadeja was retained for INR 18 Crores by the Chennai Super Kings, but in his swap with Sanju Samson, who was also worth 18 crores, the Super Kings had to trade Sam Curran alongside, as Jadeja was offered 14 crores by the Royals.

Royals to revamp squad with adequate purse

Though the Rajasthan Royals' batting order looks more comprehensive than before despite the departure of their former skipper, they would yet have to target some or at least a few big names in the mini-auction.

One might be a proper middle-order batsman like Josh Inglis or a strong finisher like Andre Russell. The Royals lost most of their crunch matches last season, as they lacked some firepower towards the back end and were entirely dependent on Shimron Hetmyer.

With a purse of 16.05 crores and only 2 compulsory slots remaining to reach the required tally of 18 players, the Royals might be looking to rope in at least one of those big names.

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