Copyright Cricket Addictor
Ravindra Jadeja might be very keen to lead the Rajasthan Royals franchise after making a move ahead from the Chennai Super Kings. Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal are already in the race for RR captaincy, with the Assam all-rounder having led the Royals in the absence of Samson last season. Ever since Sanju Samson asked the Rajasthan Royals to release him from the squad, they have been exploring options to be named the next captain of the side. Samson has led the Rajasthan Royals since 2021 and led them to two knockouts and a final in the IPL. The 2022 final marked the first-ever final played by the Rajasthan Royals since 2008, the inaugural season where they won the first-ever IPL title under the legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne. However, Samson could not lead them to a title, as they lost the final to the Gujarat Titans. Ravindra Jadeja to be named Rajasthan Royals captain Former Rajasthan Royals all-rounder, who moved to CSK back in 2012, has played 12 seasons for the Super Kings and two seasons for the Gujarat Lions. He has been a player to have played finals for three franchises in his career: RR, CSK, and Gujarat Lions. On his move from CSK to the Royals, he might not only be seen as an experienced star in the new franchise but also as a likely option for captaincy with all those years under his belt. Jadeja has, however, never had a captaincy stint and did not relish the short role in the CSK hut a few seasons back. Yet, some predictions from renowned sports analyst Nagraj Gollapudi have claimed that Ravindra Jadeja is surely in the mix for RR captaincy and might just creep past Riyan Parag or Dhruv Jurel for the role. The final decision, however, could only be made once the deal turns official. Riyan Parag was considered a front-runner for RR Captaincy Last season, Sanju Samson was kept out of the game on previous occasions by an affected finger. On many occasions, he did not feature in the XI and on some, he came off the bench just as a specialist batter and did not take the field. Riyan Parag, the all-rounder from Assam who has been identified and cultivated by the RR scouts, was seen leading the Royals in those games, though not very successfully. Hence, on Samson's release, it was expected that he would be appointed as the next RR skipper from IPL 2026. Parag, anyway, has some experience leading his domestic side, unlike Ravindra Jadeja, who has never considered captaincy an option. How would the Rajasthan Royals' batting order look after the new additions? Rajasthan Royals would undoubtedly be maintaining the two left-handed prodigies at the top of their batting order. Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal will continue to open for the Royals. Riyan Parag, who was demoted down the order again, might just return to his no. 3 spot, where he gained immense success in 2024. Dhurv Jurel will be backed by Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sam Curran in the middle order, with the batting going as deep as no. 8. Nitish Rana was seen playing a good hand in the middle order last season and might be retained as well. However, the Shimron Hetmyer deal remains under major doubt, as the Caribbean batter was not able to land his job of finishing games for the Royals well last season. They faced defeat in several close last-over thrillers, which led to a disheartening end to their campaign.
