The trade market has been buzzing ahead of the IPL 2025 retention deadline on November 15, with discussions between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) centring around a potential Ravindra Jadeja–Sanju Samson swap. As reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, RR had initially reached out to CSK for a possible deal involving Jadeja, but talks stalled as the Royals were simultaneously negotiating a separate trade with Delhi Capitals involving Samson and Tristan Stubbs. When the Delhi deal fell through — primarily due to disagreements over RR’s demand for uncapped player Sameer Rizvi — the Royals reopened discussions with CSK. Sources suggest that the conversation is not limited to a direct Jadeja–Samson exchange, as RR have also shown interest in an additional CSK player, possibly Matheesha Pathirana or Sam Curran.

But amid all the trade chatter, one question stands out — why was Ravindra Jadeja released by Rajasthan Royals in the first place? The story goes back to 2010, when Jadeja, after two successful seasons with RR including winning the title in 2008, was banned for one year by the IPL governing council for trying to negotiate a move to Mumbai Indians without informing his franchise. Then IPL chief Lalit Modi had said, “The IPL governing council has arrived at this decision after due deliberations done after taking into account Ravindra Jadeja’s representation to the president of the BCCI and a further representation by the Rajasthan Royals. The player guidelines laid out by the governing council of the IPL are sacrosanct and all players will need to strictly adhere to the same.” Jadeja served the suspension in 2010 before returning to the league with Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011. A year later, Chennai Super Kings picked him up — and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, with RR once again showing strong intent to bring him back in a potential blockbuster trade, Jadeja’s IPL story may be on the verge of another unexpected twist.