\n
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has shared his first thoughts after making a significant transition from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The IPL governing council announced the trade on Saturday, confirming that Jadeja moved to the Royals for \u20b914 crore, while Sanju Samson transferred to CSK for \u20b918 crore.<\/p>\n
In addition, Rajasthan Royals also acquired Sam Curran from CSK for \u20b92.40 crore. For Jadeja, this move is particularly emotional, as it brings him back to the franchise where his IPL career began. \u201cRajasthan Royals gave me my first platform and my first taste of victory,\u201d Jadeja remarked in an official statement. \u201cReturning feels special; it\u2019s not just a team for me, it\u2019s home. This is where I won my first IPL, and I hope to achieve more victories with this current squad,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Jadeja played for the Royals during the IPL’s first two seasons, a time when the late Shane Warne affectionately called him a \u201crockstar.\u201d His progress faced a setback in 2010 when he was banned for a season due to an unauthorized trade agreement with another franchise.<\/p>\n
Since joining CSK in 2012, apart from a brief suspension in 2016 and 2017, Jadeja has been a key player. He played a vital role in CSK\u2019s championship win in 2023, delivering crucial runs in the last moments of the final against Gujarat Titans.<\/p>\n
With 254 IPL matches under his belt, Jadeja\u2019s vast experience is a valuable addition to the Royals. Kumar Sangakkara, the Director of Cricket for RR, expressed excitement about Jadeja joining the squad. “Jadeja’s return is incredibly special for all of us. He knows the franchise and the fans well, having been part of our IPL-winning team,” Sangakkara said. \u201cOver the years, he has developed into a player who influences every aspect of the game. His experience and competitive edge will greatly benefit our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
In broader trade news, the Royals also released Nitish Kumar, who will now play for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
### \u2018SANJU WAS FAMILY: BADALE\u2019<\/p>\n
Manoj Badale, Lead Owner of Rajasthan Royals, spoke highly of Sanju Samson, saying, \u201cSanju was with us from trials at just 17 and became one of our youngest captains. He has been a core part of the Royals family for over a decade, inspiring everyone around him.\u201d <\/p>\n
He added, \u201cSanju\u2019s journey with us has been filled with belief and heart. He has been an exceptional ambassador of our values, and we thank him for everything he contributed to the Royals family.\u201d
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has shared his first thoughts after making a significant transition from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The IPL governing council announced the trade on Saturday, confirming that Jadeja moved to the Royals for \u20b914 crore, while Sanju Samson transferred<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[26192,26193,26194,26191,26195,26196,26190,19444],"class_list":{"0":"post-20805","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-csk-to-rr-swap-deal","9":"tag-ipl-2026-player-transfers","10":"tag-jadeja-first-reaction","11":"tag-jadeja-first-reaction-after-joining-rajasthan-royals","12":"tag-kumar-sangakkara-rajasthan-royals","13":"tag-manoj-badale-on-sanju-samson","14":"tag-ravindra-jadeja-trade","15":"tag-sanju-samson-trade"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}