A major talking point ahead of the IPL 2026 auction was the high-profile transfer of Sanju Samson from RR to CSK, in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. However, despite the inaugural champions making it to the Playoffs, Jadeja’s performances have not created the impact the franchise would have hoped for, especially with the bat, where he has been used lower down the order.
Head coach Kumar Sangakkara revealed that the 37-year-old had been nursing an injury, and the team had to manage him.
“He’s been nursing an injury. And we’ve had to manage him quite sensitively. So for him to go out and bat for long periods of time, it puts a lot of pressure on him, a lot of stress on him. So until he gets maybe another two days of rest, then we can use him even better,” Sangakkara said in the post-match presentation.
The comments come a few days after India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Jadeja was given a rest and hence not picked for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting in New Chandigarh, on June 6.
“Ravindra Jadeja has been rested for the Test. He remains an integral part of the Test team and remains our No 1 spinner. About One-day cricket, there are still 15-16 months to go for the ODI World Cup. We wanted to try and assess our options, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa,” Agarkar said in the squad announcement press conference.
IPL 2026 marked Riyan Parag’s first season as RR’s captain, and Sangakkara said that he was the right man to lead the franchise and had the respect of other players in the team.
“When we decided to offer Riyan the captaincy, he is the absolute right guy to lead this franchise. I have no doubt in my mind. And having watched him, yes, he will grow. He will mature. He will understand himself a lot more. He will learn to understand his players a lot more. But even today, if you look at the calls he makes as captain, the confidence with which he drags himself almost on one foot sometimes to come and play – there’s a huge amount of positives.”
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“I think he’s captained exceptionally well. He’s led his team exceptionally well. And when he’s in that dressing room, he’s got the respect of all the players and the staff. That’s all you can ask for. What happens in the next few years, I think it’s a really interesting relationship we have to build with the franchise and Riyan, and really help him develop as a captain, as a batter, as a person, and keep supporting him,”
“He’s a very, very good young man. Sometimes what you see on the outside is not Riyan Parag. Riyan Parag is a lovely, soft, gentle, really determined, smart young man. And he’s learned a lot in the last few years. And he’ll continue on that journey. I’m very, very proud of him,” he said.
The win over MI on Sunday means RR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash in New Chandigarh on Wednesday. Sangakkara stressed that his side needed to be aggressive on that day to tackle the challenge.
“We know what we’re going to face. Again, we’ve got to hold the line really. Be disciplined. Understand that they’re not a side that you’re going to limit to 120 or 130. But we’ve got to be aggressive. Lines and lengths. Even if you’re trying to bowl a good length ball or a slower ball, it has to be bowled with intent. You have to have energy going through it. Positive body language. That’s when you bowl better. The ball does something more. So with Sunrisers, yeah, it’s going to be a tough clash for us. But let’s see in two days’ time what we come up with,” he said.
