"Rajasthan will be more at an advantage" - Ex all-rounder's stunning claim amid Ravindra Jadeja trade rumours ahead of IPL 2026 retention deadline

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has addressed rumors of Ravindra Jadeja's trade to the Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2026 retention deadline. The 41-year-old has opined that Jadeja's trade to the Royals from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be largely advantageous to the former, given they will get an excellent all-rounder.

According to Cricbuzz, CSK and the Royals have initiated the process of trade, with regulations stating that it takes 48 hours to be formalized. As per reports, the Super Kings are ready to trade Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to acquire Sanju Samson's services. It is likely to be one of the most high-profile player trades in IPL history.

Speaking in the latest video on his YouTube channel, Pathan pointed out CSK's lack of stability in the 2025 edition, given how they used as many as 22 players. He suggested that trading Jadeja to the Royals could only make matters worse for them, stating:

"We’ll talk about CSK first. In IPL 2025, they utilised 22 players. This was a team that hardly makes changes. The team that believed in stability used 22 players. But the good thing is they got a few good names as replacements, whether we talk of Dewald Brevis or Ayush Mhatre. They are good players. Urvil Patel also made a good start. But the big rumour is about Ravindra Jadeja going to Rajasthan Royals and Sanju Samson coming to Chennai Super Kings. If it happens, Rajasthan will be more at an advantage. Their batting unit will get stronger; they will get a potent Indian spinner as they didn’t have one and a good fielder too. Jadeja will return to the team he started playing for in the IPL."

The Saurashtra all-rounder had started his IPL career with the Royals and was part of the squad in 2008 when they won the trophy under Shane Warne's captaincy. He represented the Super Kings from 2012 to 2015 and returned to the franchise in 2018.

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"Without Ashwin, there is an available amount of over ₹9 crore" - Irfan Pathan on CSK ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Irfan Pathan. (Image Credits: Getty)

With Ravichandran Ashwin retiring from IPL, Pathan opined that CSK might also look to release the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar and Devon Conway based on their performance in 2025. He added:

"But CSK will have a good amount in the auction. Firstly, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda struggled. Vijay Shankar’s strike rate was a problem too. Devon Conway too. Without Ashwin, there is an available amount of over ₹9 crore. If all these players are released, the amount that is available is of ₹20 crore. I feel these players will be released. They will think about Conway. But if Samson comes, there will be too many openers. Will Conway get a place then? Eyes will also be on Sam Curran since he is part of the trade deal. Curran is a valuable player and can be advantageous if used well."

The auction is likely to take place in mid-December.