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"Rajasthan Royals is home": Ravindra Jadeja after CSK departure ahead of IPL 2026

Jatin

Ravindra Jadeja has been traded to RR from CSK [Source: @marellamurthy, @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]Ravindra Jadeja has been traded to RR from CSK [Source: @marellamurthy, @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

In one of the biggest trade shocks IPL has seen in years, Ravindra Jadeja has returned to the franchise where his journey began: Rajasthan Royals. And if his first words on rejoining the inaugural champions are anything to go by, Jadeja is walking into this reunion with a full heart.

Ravindra Jadeja opens up on emotional return to RR

The trade itself was massive. Sanju Samson, RR’s long-time pillar and fan favourite, has moved to Chennai Super Kings with Jadeja and Sam Curran becoming Royals’ new headline arrivals.

Jadeja didn’t hide his emotions while addressing his return, calling it a full-circle moment.

“Rajasthan Royals gave me my first platform and my first taste of victory,” he said on the franchise’s official website. “Coming back feels special – it is not just a team for me, it is home. Rajasthan Royals is where I won my first IPL, and I hope to win more with this current group of players.”

For someone who first broke onto the scene in RR’s iconic title run in 2008 under Shane Warne, this homecoming hits different. Back then, he was fresh off India’s U19 World Cup win, trying to find his feet in senior cricket. RR gave him a stage, a role, and a taste of championship cricket, something he later turned into a habit with CSK and India.

During his first stint with the Royals (2008–09), Ravindra Jadeja scored 430 runs and took six wickets, learning the ropes in a team that punched above its weight. For fans who watched him grow from “Rockstar” to modern-day IPL legend, this reunion feels like a nostalgic throwback.

End of a golden CSK era

Jadeja leaving CSK is the kind of move that makes even neutral fans pause for a moment. He played for the franchise from 2012 to 2025 with a couple of temporary detours (Kochi in 2011, Gujarat Lions in 2016–17). He leaves as CSK’s leading wicket-taker with 143 wickets and their one of their highest run-getters with 2,198 runs.

CSK fans will never forget that last over in the 2023 IPL final, when Jadeja iced the chase against Gujarat Titans like only he could. With three IPL titles under his belt at CSK and 254 IPL matches overall (fifth-most in history), it’s safe to say this departure means the end of an era.

What Jadeja brings back to RR?

RR aren’t just getting a familiar face, they are getting a full package. A batting finisher, a wicket-taking left-arm spinner, a bullet fielder and a cricketer who thrives when the lights shine brightest.

In a team full of rising stars, Jadeja and Curran add something Rajasthan Royals have sometimes lacked: battle-hardened experience and match awareness under pressure. And with Samson gone, the leadership vacuum needed filling. Jadeja fits that bill.