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Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, a blockbuster trade took place between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) involving star all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson. Former India spinner Anil Kumble shared a blunt and insightful reaction to this widely discussed trade.
Kumble described the trade as a "big move," expressing surprise at CSK's decision to let go of Jadeja, given the franchise's historic tendency to retain their core players over many years.
He noted that Jadeja has had a significant and long-standing relationship with CSK, playing 186 matches, scoring over 2,000 runs, and taking 143 wickets, making his exit unexpected. At the same time, Kumble welcomed Sanju Samson's arrival at CSK as a great positive, highlighting
Samson's ability as a top-order Indian batsman and wicketkeeper who brings solidity and leadership potential to the team. With MS Dhoni's future uncertain, Samson could be an important figure in CSK's plans moving forward.
"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 Jio Star.
Regarding Jadeja's move to Rajasthan Royals, Kumble emphasized the value Jadeja adds to RR with his left-arm spin, middle-order batting, exceptional fielding, and experience. He pointed out that RR needed a seasoned Indian spinner, especially since they had played with two overseas spinners last season.
Kumble also raised an intriguing question about whether Rajasthan Royals might consider offering the captaincy to Jadeja, given Samson's departure and the presence of other captaincy candidates like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag.
"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," the former India player added.
