Ravindra Jadeja will join the franchise he made his IPL debut for.
CSK and RR pulled off one of the biggest trades in IPL history, with RR getting Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran while giving away Sanju Samson to CSK. RR got two of the best all-rounders in IPL, while CSK can prepare for the post-MS Dhoni era with Sanju Samson taking over.
The surprising thing was that Sanju transferred to CSK for Rs 18 crore, the same rate at which he was kept by RR last year; yet, Jadeja's fee was reduced to Rs 14 crore, four crore less than the price at which the five-time champions retained him before the previous season.
Aakash Chopra pondered if Jadeja took a wage reduction because he was done with CSK, and what prompted him to leave CSK.
"RR has got Jadeja, but he has taken a pay cut. I am thinking he left CSK by taking a pay cut? Without a player's consent, you cannot change their price. He has taken 4 crores less to leave Chennai, and that is mind-boggling. Why does someone take a pay cut? Maybe he was done with CSK and did not want to stay there. However, he could have done that by bidding in the auction as well. Has RR offered him captaincy? Was that the incentive for which he went towards RR? It is very interesting. There has to be a bit more to it,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Jadeja had made his IPL debut in 2008 with RR, winning the title, and was part of the franchise for IPL 2009. He moved to CSK in IPL 2012 and remained with the franchise till IPL 2025, barring the two years CSK was banned. He won the IPL in 2018, 2021, and 2023 with CSK.
Jadeja has been the leading wicket-taker for CSK in IPL history, with 143 scalps in 186 matches at an average of 28.32, with best figures of 5/16.