New Delhi [India], November 19 : Former India head coach and legendary cricketer Anil Kumble has opened up about Chennai Super Kings (CSK) trading out veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, scheduled to be held on December 16.
JioStar expert Kumble expressed his surprise at Jadeja's trade move while also questioning whether the star all-rounder could take on the leadership responsiblity of the 2008 champions RR.
The legendary cricketer added that the Royals have many options for the captaincy role, including Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Sam Curran.
"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. 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? 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 harbored 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," Kumble said.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, five-time champions CSK and one-time winners RR were involved in a hot trade.
Former RR captain Sanju Samson headed to the Super Kings in exchange for all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
Samson, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to CSK for INR 18 crore, whereas Jadeja and Curran moved to RR for INR 14 crore and INR 2.4 crore, respectively.
Interestingly, Jadeja, who CSK previously retained for INR 18 crore in IPL 2025, will recieve a revised fee with RR in the upcoming IPL season.
Overall, Jadeja has played 27 matches for RR in IPL. The all-rounder has scalped six wickets and amassed 430 runs for the Rajasthan-based franchise.