Ravindra Jadeja asks RR management for captaincy as part of trade deal - Reports

According to multiple reports, Ravindra Jadeja will join RR as a trade deal with CSK.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are in the final stages of completing their trade deal involving Ravindra Jadeja, Sanju Samson, and Sam Curran ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. According to the latest report in News18, Jadeja has asked RR management for captaincy as part of the trade deal.

According to the trade deal, Jadeja and Curran will join RR, while Samson will become a part of CSK. Both Jadeja and Samson are Rs. 18 crore players of their respective franchises. Curran was bought by CSK for Rs. 2.4 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Both franchises are expected to make an official announcement in a few days after completing the trade process.

Samson, who has been part of RR since IPL 2013, was appointed as the captain ahead of the 2021 season. Last season, he missed a few games due to injury and Riyan Parag led RR in his absence. Hence, RR also have the option of Parag in the leadership role, and it remains to be seen if they accept Jadeja’s demands of captaincy.

Interestingly, this won’t be the first captaincy stint for Jadeja. In IPL 2022, CSK chose him to lead the side. However, he stepped down and gave the captaincy back to Dhoni after the team’s dismal start in the tournament.

CSK not going to give captaincy to Sanju Samson

Meanwhile, Samson will not be given CSK’s leadership in IPL 2026. The Men in Yellow do not plan to take away the captaincy from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was nominated as captain of the side before of IPL 2024. The right-handed batsman was ruled out after five games in IPL 2025 due to an elbow injury, with MS Dhoni captaining the side for the rest of the season.

While Samson could not drive RR to an IPL title, he was the longest-serving captain for the side, leading the team in 33 wins and 33 defeats across 67 matches. He is also the highest run-scorer for RR in the IPL history. After IPL 2025, he requested to be released from the squad as he seeks a fresh journey in the tournament.

The IPL 2026 auction is set to take place in December. All the teams are currently busy finalising their list of retained players ahead of the November 15 deadline.

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