"Ravindra Jadeja will not become captain" - Former RCB batter's massive claim after all-rounder's trade to RR ahead of IPL 2026

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif believes Ravindra Jadeja will not captain the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026. Kaif has instead backed Riyan Parag to succeed Sanju Samson as the skipper.

In what has been one of the most-talked-about trades in IPL history, Jadeja and Sam Curran were traded to the Royals from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Samson. The left-arm spinner will ply his trade for the Royals for ₹14 crore and return to the franchise he started his IPL journey with in 2008.

When asked who will lead the Royals in IPL 2026, Kaif said the franchise has been grooming Parag for quite some time now, and coach Kumar Sangakkara will prefer the youngster as captain, given the relationship they share. He said in a video on his YouTube channel 'Mohammad Kaif':

"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."

"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.

Kaif also opined that the Royals will make the southpaw wait for his turn to lead and will first want him to experience the environment in the franchise. He continued:

"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."

"So, he wouldn’t be aware of their strategies. Whatever Samson will have to go through in CSK, Jadeja will be experiencing it too. He will have to spend two months with the team, work with Parag, Sangakkara and the management. I don’t think they will make Jadeja captain over Parag," Kaif added.

The Saurashtra all-rounder has a poor record as a captain in the IPL. Having led the Super Kings in IPL 2022, he managed to win only two out of eight matches before MS Dhoni took the reins back.

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"They needed an Indian spinner" - Mohammad Kaif on Rajasthan Royals' rationale behind acquiring Ravindra Jadeja

Rajasthan Royals' owner Manoj Badale. (Credits: Getty)

When asked why the Royals went for a veteran like Jadeja, Kaif said that an Indian spinner in the eleven makes a massive difference. He reckoned that the inaugural IPL champions couldn't quite get the job done with Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga in their ranks. In the same video, Kaif said:

"In IPL 2025, Rajasthan Royals gave away at least 200 runs on seven occasions. It’s a sign that bowling was weak. They needed an Indian spinner, Theekshana and Hasaranga couldn’t quite do the trick. Theekshana was bought for ₹4.4 crore and Hasaranga went for almost ₹5.5 crore; hence, two foreign player’s slots were filled."

"Jofra Archer came into the eleven but if Nandre Burger plays, Royals have to drop Hetmyer. Things have opened up now since they have an all-rounder in Sam Curran. As far as age goes, it’s just a number. As long as you can run fast, dive, take catches, bat well and bowl well, a player can play up to 45 years of age," he added.

Kaif said Jadeja, at 36, is well and truly fit, backing the star cricketer to do the job for which he is being paid. He continued:

"But fitness shouldn’t be compromised with and Jadeja is an example of it. Rohit Sharma was said he is 38 years old but he made a ton in Sydney. I feel if a player plays well, is a match-winner and his mind is sharp, they should play. Our culture is such that people go after age. I don’t believe in it. But I still work on my fitness. Cricket is not a high-endurance game. A reasonable fitness level along with skilful batting and bowling is all it takes. The Royals wouldn’t have thought about Jadeja’s age because they needed an Indian spinner."

"When they came in top three, the Royals had conceded 200 runs only thrice. The Royals then had Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal. In IPL 2024, they had won eight matches out of their first nine. So, bowlers had more of a say then. Since Rajasthan conceded 200 runs seven times, they sacrificed a batter but got two bowlers. Hence, I see the plan of making their bowling unit a lot stronger," Kaif concluded.

Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal are other captaincy options for the Royals ahead of IPL 2026.