Rajasthan Royals have spared CSK the guilt over Ravindra Jadeja’s release, as RR owner Manoj Badale has revealed that Ravindra Jadeja himself was excited to join the Royals, a franchise where he started his IPL career in 2008.
Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the players who has featured in the IPL since the inaugural season in the history of the tournament.
He was selected by Rajasthan Royals in the first edition of the IPL and former title-winning RR captain Shane Warne often referred to him as a ‘rockstar’.
Currently, Jadeja is playing for India against South Africa in the longest format of the game. He has announced his retirement from T20 Internationals and has played for four franchises in his IPL career.
Ravindra Jadeja’s return to Rajasthan Royals was a mutual decision between Jaddu and CSK
Talking about his early IPL days as a young cricketer, Ravindra Jadeja debuted as a 20-year-old all-rounder for Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and played a major role in their title win.
He left the franchise and joined Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, and was bought by the then two-time champions, CSK for a huge price in the IPL 2012 mega-auction. After a decade-long service in the CSK team, he returned to Rajasthan Royals on 15 November.
The CSK management faced some criticism for its decision to part ways with Jadeja. However, both the former CSK CEO and now Rajasthan Royals owner have revealed that it was a mutual decision and was taken as per Jadeja’s wishes.
Manoj Badale made a big revelation about Ravindra Jadeja’s business.
Rajasthan Royals owner, Manoj Badale revealed that Ravindra Jadeja himself had reached out to him a month ago and expressed interest in returning to the franchise. He made his name with the Royals before becoming an international star with the Indian team.
“Jaddu reached out to me about four weeks ago, in mid-October, and said he was excited about the prospect of coming ‘home’, as he described it – from where he began his IPL career, and indeed where his cricketing journey and visibility across India began.”
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a number of conversations. The last time I saw him, he was 21, so it’s been interesting getting to know the older version of Ravi Jadeja,” Badale told RR’s YouTube channel.
He further said that everyone should not forget about Sam Curran and pointed out that the pair will collectively play certain roles for the team.
“I want to be clear: this was not a trade for Jadeja alone. This was a trade for Jadeja and Sam Curran. We must not forget that other component. The combination of the two and how they collectively fill the three or four roles required for next season – that’s what makes it compelling,” Badale said.
Jadeja’s record for his former franchise Rajasthan Royals
Ravindra Jadeja has amassed an extraordinary record in the IPL, although most of it has come from playing for CSK. He has scored a total of 3260 runs in over 250+ matches in the IPL at an average of 27.86 with a strike rate of 130. With 109 catches, this brilliant all-rounder has also taken 170 wickets in his career.
Also playing for Rajasthan Royals, he has played 27 matches in two seasons and scored 430 runs in the Royals setup. He also took 6 wickets for them, although he did not get many chances with the ball. RR is also likely to emerge as a new alternative to his leadership.
Also read: Glenn Maxwell’s next IPL team decided!
