The Indian Premier League 2026 retentions were announced by all ten franchises on November 15, but the biggest headline was Ravindra Jadeja And Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are trading out Sam Curran in exchange for wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson. Jadeja was paid Rs 14 crore as part of the trade deal, while Curran took home only Rs 2.4 crore.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) co-owner Manoj Badale has made a big revelation that it was Ravindra Jadeja who first approached him about a possible team change ahead of the 2026 season. This was when RR actually showed interest in acquiring the services of the all-rounder, which took a few more weeks for the deal to be completed.
Badale explained in an official RR video, “About four weeks ago, in mid-October, Ravindra Jadeja came to me and said he was excited about the prospect of coming 'home', as he described it – from where he started his IPL career, and indeed from where his cricketing journey and visibility across India began. Over the last few weeks, we have had many exchanges. The last time I saw him he was 21, so Ravi. It has been interesting getting to know the older version of Jadeja.”
However, Badale also revealed that the Jaipur-based franchise had never thought of Curran as a complimentary dish to be served with Jadeja. In fact, RR always wanted both all-rounders to be included in the team's strategy ahead of the upcoming season, as the 2008 champions are still waiting for their second title.
Badale said, “I want to be clear: this was not a trade for Jadeja alone. This was a trade for Jadeja and Sam Curran. We must not forget that other component. The combination of the two and how they collectively fill the three or four roles required for next season – that's what makes it compelling.”
Jadeja has already played a few seasons for the Royals when he made his debut in 2008, soon after helping the India Under-19 team win the World Cup. He spent another season with RR before moving to Kochi Tuskers Kerala for his next stint in the cash-rich tournament. In 2012, Jadeja joined CSK, for this team he played for Gujarat Lions till 2025, except for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
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