“Ravindra Jadeja will not become captain” - Ex-Indian cricketer reveals the reason why RR will not appoint Jadeja as new captain in IPL 2026

Former India opener Aakash Chopra argues that Ravindra Jadeja will not/should not be RR's captain in IPL 2026 due to his previous failed stint. Chopra insists RR must prioritize their youth policy by appointing the more aggressive and long-term prospect, Yashasvi Jaiswal, as the new leader.

19 Nov 2025 13:19 IST

New Update

Former Indian cricketer and analyst Mohammad Kaif has reckoned that the Rajasthan Royals franchise will not appoint the new-comer and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as their new captain in the IPL 2026 season.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif asserted that the RR franchise has invested a lot on a player like Riyan Parag and they would be appointing the all-rounder as the new skipper of the team for the forthcoming season. Notably, there were multiple instances when Parag captained the franchise in the IPL 2025 season.

"Ravindra Jadeja will not become captain. The reason is they have been grooming Riyan Parag and invested a lot on him. Parag had replaced Samson as captain for a few matches due to the former’s injury. He is still learning the trade but Kumar Sangakkara is there and knows Parag for a lot of time now. When Jadeja was in Royals at the very start, Sangakkara was not there,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

"So, it takes time to build that rapport. But he has been working with Parag for 4-5 years now. Due to that bonding, Manoj Badale might have said even if Dravid is leaving, Sangakkara and Parag have a good tuning. Badale knows the team can’t progress if they don’t have a good relationship. He has been with the team since 2008," he added.

Furthermore, Kaif also emphasized that the Royals think tank team and owners are shelling a lot of money to build a strong team since the last two auctions, adding that Parag is higher than Jadeja in the pecking order at the moment.

"Rajasthan Royals are known to not spend a lot of money, that’s how their planning was in the auction. But they spent all their money in the last two auctions. The Royals now have a mindset of spending money to make the team stronger. I feel Riyan Parag is higher than Jadeja in the pecking order. It would be the right call too because Jadeja hasn’t been part of the side for a long time now,” he emphasized.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, RR franchise has a total purse remaining of INR 16.05 Crore. They have released a total of nine players ahead of the retentions deadline.

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