IPL 2026: Will Ravindra Jadeja captain Rajasthan Royals?
What's the story
Ravindra Jadeja, the star Indian all-rounder, is likely to be announced as the new captain of Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season. The Jaipur-based franchise took to social media platform X on Sunday (January 4) to hint at Jadeja's elevation. The 37-year-old joined the team in a trade deal with Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Here's more.
Past performance
Jadeja's previous stint with Rajasthan Royals
Jadeja had previously played for Rajasthan Royals from 2008 to 2009, playing a major role in their title win in the inaugural season. Jadeja scored 135 runs at 19.28 in 2008 and went wicketless. In 2009, he scored 295 runs at an average of 26.81 and bagged six scalps at 25.16.
Career stats
Jadeja's journey and stats in IPL
Jadeja is one of the most experienced players in IPL history. He has played 254 matches for four teams - RR, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, CSK and Gujarat Lions. In those games, he has scored 3,260 runs at 27.86 and taken 170 wickets at 30.51. As a captain, he led CSK in eight matches during IPL 2022 but managed to win only two of them.
Leadership stats
Jadeja's captaincy record in IPL
If appointed captain, Jadeja will be the eighth player to lead Rajasthan Royals in IPL. Before him, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag have captained RR. Under these players' leaderships over the years, Rajasthan Royals have had their fair share of successes and failures in the world's richest franchise cricket league.
Twitter Post
Thalapathy!
🔜 Thalapathy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xPPX5z3Sco
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 4, 2026