Could Rajasthan Royals Offer Jadeja the Captaincy?"- Anil Kumble

India : Chennai Super Kings' bold decisions to release Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, and Rachin Ravindra, along with trading Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals, signal a major squad overhaul at the upcoming TATA IPL auction. Speaking on 'TATA IPL Retention', JioStar experts Saba Karim and Anil Kumble analyzed CSK’s retention strategy, Gaikwad’s captaincy, Jadeja’s move to RR, and the auction priorities ahead.

Speaking on the TATA IPL Retention Show, JioStar expert Saba Karim expressed surprise at Chennai Super Kings' decision to release Matheesha Pathirana, "I was very surprised by CSK's move to release Pathirana. They invested heavily in him, mentored him, and he delivered for them many times. He plays in global T20 leagues and has a good experience of bowling against top batters. Though he didn't end last season strongly, he's a young talent they could have worked with more. Releasing Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra was expected after their poor season, but now CSK must rebuild their entire squad and playing eleven since all three released players were regulars in their team."

On CSK's decision to back Ruturaj Gaikwad as the Captain and their auction strategy, karim said, "Confirming Ruturaj Gaikwad as the captain after announcing the retention list is a very smart move. The whole idea was to get rid of all the speculation about Sanju Samson captaining the side. They have made it very clear they have faith in Ruturaj Gaikwad's leadership skills and should give him a couple of years to build the side. Their top order is sorted to some extent. What they actually need now is to invest heavily in good spin attacking options who can take wickets. Except for Noor Ahmad, I don't see anybody in the squad for that role. With Nathan Ellis in the lineup, it's more important for them to sort their spin combination, especially on Chennai's surfaces. And as Anil (Kumble) said, maybe another seam bowler who can pick up wickets would complete the squad."

Saba Karim also spoke on Ravindra Jadeja's move to Rajasthan Royals, "It's time for fans to move on from emotional attachments. What had to happen has happened and now fans will have to get used to seeing Ravindra Jadeja in the pink jersey instead of the usual yellow one. Yes it's tough but the league shows maturity when players and teams make tough decisions. I think Jadeja wants a new challenge at this stage of his career and probably that's the reason why he agreed to join Rajasthan Royals. Now it's upto the RR team management to see how they can build a young team around a seasoned campaigner like Jadeja and turn them into winners. Rajasthan often starts well but falls apart later. Maybe Jadeja can hold them together. He loves such challenges, which is likely why he joined them. We have seen Ravindra Jadeja always loves these kind of challenges. So I think that's the kind of challenge he is willing to accept.”

Speaking on the TATA IPL Retention Show, JioStar expert Anil Kumble analyzed Chennai Super Kings' Post-Jadeja Rebuild Strategy. He said, "CSK will likely build their batting core around captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube in the top six. They need to move beyond their aging stars, as shown by the trade move of Ravindra Jadeja to Rajasthan Royals. Their bowling needs strengthening after releasing Pathirana. Nathan Ellis becomes crucial as their overseas fast bowler, with Noor Ahmed as the wrist spinner. They still require an Indian spinner to replace Jadeja and more Indian fast bowlers alongside Khaleel Ahmed. Another overseas fast bowler would also help balance their attack."

He spoke about Ruturaj Gaikwad's best role in the team, "It's great to see Ruturaj Gaikwad back as captain of the Chennai Super Kings after his injury last season. My clear advice to him is to open the batting himself. While they have Sanju Samson and the promising Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj is best suited as an opener for CSK. His leadership and batting at the top will provide the stability the team needs."

Expressing his thoughts on Ravindra Jadeja's trade move to the Rajasthan Royals and RR potentially considering him 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. 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".