Will Ravindra Jadeja emerge as RR captain in IPL 2026? Anil Kumble answers

Former Indian spinner and commentator Anil Kumble has opened up on the rumours of the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja becoming the new captain of the Rajasthan Royals set-up in the upcoming IPL 2026 season.

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Kumble asserted that Jadeja returning to the Royals set-up is a big move, but added that RR already has players like Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, who are also ready for the captaincy role.

"Ravindra Jadeja returning to Rajasthan Royals is a big move. Generally, CSK doesn't let go of their players, especially someone of Jadeja's quality who has had a long relationship with them. I was surprised they let him go. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson coming to CSK is certainly a great move for them," Kumble said on IPL Retention Show on JioHotstar.

"Interestingly, Jadeja has also taken a pay cut from 18 crore to 14 crore. The big question is about captaincy - could Rajasthan offer it to Jadeja? They need to find a new captain. They have several options - Riyan Parag led them in a couple of matches last season, Yashasvi Jaiswal has always harbored captaincy dreams, young Dhruv Jurel has the right temperament, and there's overseas option Sam Curran. So Ravindra Jadeja becomes another interesting possibility for their leadership role," he added.

Notably, Jadeja played for CSK for a total of 12 seasons after starting his IPL career with the Rajasthan Royals in 2008, scoring a total of 2198 runs from 135 IPL games and scalping 143 wickets.

On the other hand, Samson was with the Rajasthan Royals franchise for a total of 11 seasons, since 2013, amassing 4027 runs for the side and propelling them to the grand finale in the IPL 2022 season.

The IPL 2026 mini-auction will take place on December 16.

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