Ravindra Jadeja is at the centre of an IPL trade ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. To facilitate Sanju Samson's move to the franchise, Chennai Super Kings may give up on Jadeja.
As per the latest understandings, Jadeja will move to Rajasthan Royals in a trade with Samson, ending his 14-year-long association with CSK.
Jadeja, whose career started with the Royals in 2008, served a one-year ban in the IPL before coming to Chennai in 2012. After spending one year at Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the India all-rounder was the focal point of an intense auction battle. CSK, battling with the Deccan Chargers (now defunct), got hold of the star player with a secret bid in an envelope.
Ravindra Jadeja's move to CSK involved a Secret Bid
Ravindra Jadeja's signing with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2012 IPL auction
was a high-profile event marked by intense competition and a secret tie-breaker bid. Jadeja entered the auction with a base price of $100,000, but his performance and potential attracted strong bids, particularly from CSK and Deccan Chargers. The bidding for Jadeja quickly escalated to the maximum auction cap of $2 million, equaling bids from both franchises.
Since both CSK and Deccan Chargers reached the limit, a tie-breaker was invoked, where the two teams submitted secret bids in sealed envelopes. CSK outbid Deccan Chargers by offering a higher secret bid, successfully securing Jadeja for approximately Rs 9.72 crore (about $2 million)- making him the most expensive player bought in that auction. The secret envelope system was used to break the tie fairly and maintain the excitement and strategy of the auction.
Interestingly, due to contract rules, Jadeja himself received $950,000 under his existing contract with Kochi Tuskers Kerala (disbanded after IPL 2011) and did not receive the full auction price directly; the rest went to the BCCI. This signing marked the beginning of a long and impactful association between Jadeja and CSK, with Jadeja becoming a key all-rounder and winning three titles with the franchise after that.
