"Jaddu reached out to me about four weeks ago..." RR owner reveals his conversation with 'excited' Ravindra Jadeja ahead of trade

Ravindra Jadeja has joined Rajasthan Royals from CSK ahead of IPL 2026.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) team owner Manoj Badale revealed that Ravindra Jadeja reached out to him four weeks ago and was excited about joining the team ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Indian all-rounder is set to play for his former team RR in the next season.

Ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction, RR traded in Jadeja and Sam Curran from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange of Sanju Samson. The deal was one of the hottest talking points and was officially announced on Saturday, November 15.

Jadeja was part of RR side which won the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 and also played for them in 2009 as well. At a revised price of Rs. 14 crores from his previous salary cap of Rs. 18 crores, Jadeja has made a comeback to RR after 17 years.

Ravindra Jadeja was excited about the possibility of coming ‘home’: RR team owner

While speaking in RR’s YouTube video, team owner Manoj Badale revealed that Jadeja was excited to join RR ahead of IPL 2026. He also said that he is looking forward to watching Jadeja’s older version in the upcoming season.

“Jaddu reached out to me about four weeks ago, around mid-October, saying he was excited about the possibility of coming ‘home,’ as he described it – back to where he started his IPL career, and really where his cricketing journey and visibility across India began. Over the past few weeks, we’ve had several exchanges. The last time I saw him he was 21, so it’s been fascinating getting to know the older version of Ravi Jadeja,” he said.

Badale also believes that all-rounders Jadeja and Curran will together fill a few roles for RR in the next season.

“I want to be clear: it wasn’t a trade for Jadeja alone. It 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 three or four roles we need for the next season -that’s what made it compelling,” he added.

From IPL 2008 to 2009, Jadeja played 27 games for RR, scoring 430 runs and picking six wickets. Later, he represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the 2011 edition, before moving to CSK from 2012 to 2015. When the Men in Yellow were suspended from 2016 to 2017, Jadeja played for Gujarat Lions. He returned to CSK ahead of IPL 2018 and was retained by the franchise over the years, becoming a poster boy for the five-time champions.

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