"It Was Very Emotional": Ravindra Jadeja Opens Up On leaving Chennai Super Kings

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja reflected on an emotional outing against his former side, Chennai Super Kings, after playing a key role in Rajasthan Royals (RR) emphatic eight-wicket win in their IPL 2026 opener at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Facing CSK for the first time following a high-profile trade that also involved Sam Curran moving to RR and Sanju Samson heading the other way, Jadeja admitted the transition had not been easy. "I'm liking the pink colour. The yellow had started to feel a bit old, but I'm just joking. Obviously, leaving a franchise like CSK, where I had played for 12-13 years, was a little difficult initially. It was very emotional. But I told myself that changes like these are also part of the journey. The good thing was that I'm now with the team where I had first won an IPL title,” Jadeja told JioStar.

"That memory has always stayed with me, that after the Under-19 World Cup, I started my IPL career there and won the title in my very first season. I have carried those memories along with a positive mindset, and my aim is to learn as much as I can with the new group and also share my experience with the team,” he added.

Jadeja's impact was felt with the ball as RR bundled CSK out for 127, setting up a comfortable chase that was headlined by a blistering knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Speaking about the conditions at the ACA Stadium, Jadeja highlighted how the surface played to his strengths.

"The wicket was a bit sticky, so it suited my kind of bowling. My job was simply to bowl in the right areas. When you hit the right areas on a wicket that is holding up slightly, the ball tends to grip and come slower, which feels good as a bowler. Getting such a surface to bowl on in the very first match boosts your confidence as a bowler.

"I was thinking of bowling it at the stumps, as I wanted to take a chance in case he didn't middle it. But when he hit me for a six, I quickly changed my strategy to bowling wide, as he would have kept hitting me on a straight line. So, I decided to finish on the fifth-sixth-stump line, thinking that if he went across, he might not get his timing right, and that's what happened. Luckily, he did not get the elevation he was looking for, and it was a big wicket for us.”

A key moment in the innings was his dismissal of Shivam Dube, a known power-hitter who could have shifted momentum. Jadeja also explained the thinking behind his animated celebration after the wicket.

"When I played for CSK, I used to celebrate similarly, so it was my ‘to be continued' moment. A batter like Dube doesn't give you any room for error and tries to hit big shots from the first ball. That was in my mind, but my main aim was to get him out because his wicket at that time would have probably ended their hopes, given that only bowlers were to follow next and there was no other hard-hitter in the line-up," he mentioned.

Jadeja's all-round display, coupled with RR's clinical performance, marked a strong start for the franchise as they opened their IPL 2026 campaign with a statement victory over their former stalwarts' side.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Chennai Super Kings Rajasthan Royals Ravindra Jadeja IPL 2026 Cricket