Rajasthan Royals (RR) co-owner Manoj Badale has made a huge revelation that it was Ravindra Jadeja himself who first approached him for a possible change of sides ahead of the 2026 season. It was then that RR actually showed interest in acquiring the services of the all-rounder, which took a few more weeks for the deal to finally materialize.
“Ravindra Jadeja contacted me about four weeks ago, around mid-October, and said he was excited about the opportunity to come ‘home’, as he put it – back to where he started his IPL career, and basically where his cricketing journey and visibility across India began. Over the past few weeks we have had several exchanges. The last time I saw him he was 21, so it was fascinating to get to know the older version of Ravi Jadeja,” Badale said in an official statement. RR video.
However, Badale also revealed that the Jaipur-based franchise never considered Curran as a complimentary dish to be served alongside Jadeja. In fact, RR always wanted to have both all-rounders ahead of the team’s strategy for the coming season as the 2008 champions are still waiting for their second title.
“I want to be clear: it wasn’t a trade for Jadeja alone. It was a trade for Jadeja and Sam Curran. We can’t forget that other part. The combination of the two and how they fill three or four roles together that we need for next season – that’s what made it attractive,” Badale said.
Jadeja has already played for the Royals for a few seasons, making his debut in 2008 after helping the India Under-19 side win the World Cup earlier that year. He spent another season with RR before switching to Kochi Tuskers Kerala for his next stint in the cash-rich tournament. In 2012, Jadeja joined CSK, a side he played for until 2025, except for the 2016 and 2017 seasons to play for Gujarat Lions.
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