All-rounder in its truest sense, Ravindra Jadeja has been prolific in terms of his precise bowling, ball-striking abilities and acrobatic fielding. Rightfully, he was chosen as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, despite having no leadership experience in the domestic or international circuit.
As a result, the 33-year-old could secure only two wins in eight league games for CSK. In addition, the pressure of captaincy also put a negative impact on his contributions. The falling graph of his performances, led team to pass the baton to MS Dhoni from the ninth league match. Furthermore, he did not feature in the last four matches of CSK due to a rib injury.
If the latest reports are to be believed, Jadeja and CSK have not been in contact since May. The speculations of the franchise being unable to sort out the differences with the cricketer have been on a rising trajectory over the last few days. It is expected that Jadeja might call time on his playing career with CSK and can be seen in a trading window in a couple of months.
3 IPL Teams who can target Ravindra Jadeja for IPL 2023
1. Mumbai Indians
The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have been widely speculated to secure the services of the talented all-rounder. This is due to the absence of experienced spin all-rounders and pure spinners in their squad. In the latter half of the last edition, MI played with two spin options, Kumar Kartikeya and Hrithik Shokeen in their line-up.
Although both the players did most of the things right, they could not leave any impact on their performances. In the middle-overs, the Rohit Sharma-led franchise could not get enough wickets under their belt. Furthermore, Kieron Pollard could not replicate his past performances to provide a flourish in the final few overs.
With only four wins in 14 league games, MI would surely look to add a quality option in form of Jadeja, who could take wickets consistently and has improved his finishing abilities.
2. Punjab Kings
The swashbuckling batting line-up of Punjab Kings comprised overseas batters like Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, and experienced Indian batters Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal. Although they were expected to have their best-ever season in 2022, the bowling woes could not help them progress through the playoffs.
Kings had two quality pace-bowling options in form of Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh. Both these bowlers were impressive in the powerplay and death overs. However, the team lacked a regular spinner, who would keep the opposition in check and take wickets as well. They tried the likes of Liam Livingstone and Harpreet Brar, which could not produce better results for them.
The Mayank Agarwal-led franchise is expected to avail the services of Jadeja for his acumen with the ball and calm presence at the crease with the bat.
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ahead of the IPL 2022 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made shocking decisions to not retain David Warner and Rashid Khan, who were their best performers in the recent few years. Their absence certainly left a void in the top-order and bowling department.
The overseas players, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran helped them to seal a few victories. However, the dismissals of both these batters shed light on their lack of batting depth in the number six and seven positions. In most of the matches, the team fell short of chasing down the scores, due to a lack of a quality batter in the lower middle-order.
The injury to Washington Sundar had also been a worrying factor for the team, along with the absence of a skillful leggie Rashid. They played almost all the games depending upon their pacers, and could not pose different challenges to the opposition, resulting in them losing the qualification to playoffs.
In order to improve their performance in the 2023 season, SRH is likely to be one of the most interested parties to bring Jadeja into their contingent.