“I think he will lead them” - Aakash Chopra reveals Rajasthan Royals’ captain & it’s not Ravindra Jadeja

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has asserted that the opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal should lead the Rajasthan Royals franchise in the IPL 2026 season, which is scheduled to take place next year.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra asserted that Jaiswal should be the leader of the RR set-up at some point in his career, and he feels that this would be the perfect time to emerge as the captain of the side.

According to various reports, there were rumours of Jadeja being traded to the Royals' set-up. Moreover, the CSK all-rounder has requested the RR set-up to make him the captain of the franchise if the trade is successful. 

"I think Yashasvi Jaiswal will lead them. I feel he should have spoken with the franchise about whether he wants to stay, but he also wants to be the leader. Given the stage he is in his career, I think captaincy matters. So they should make him the captain," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"I had told that CSK should release Jadeja midway through the IPL last year. I looked at Rajasthan and said they can trade him with Dhruv Jurel. I did not know that Sanju was an option back then but I thought Jurel was a possible option. So I suggested it at that point of time," he added.

Furthermore, Chopra went on to state that the RR skipper Samson doesn’t want to be a part of the set-up anymore. Moreover, the former cricketer also opened up on where it went wrong for the Royals in the last IPL season.

"There were rumors that Sanju did not want to stay at RR for a long time. Everyone will want to keep him. It makes no sense that you leave your captain who has done well, is doing well for India as well, and has been with you for a long time. But ultimately as a franchise you need to see that if it is a forced relationship then it cannot last for long. How long will you drag it? If one party has decided that they want to go, then no one can stop them," he asserted.

"RR's strategy last year was flawed because they had two overseas spinners in the IPL, although they are from the subcontinent. Both have had middling performances. So now they have an opportunity to right that wrong. You cannot foresee form. But names on paper, they look like a very good team now,” Chopra concluded.

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