IPL 2026: Emotional Ravindra Jadeja Kisses CSK Crest on Khaleel Ahmed’s Jersey | WATCH

Rajasthan Royals kickstarted their IPL 2026 campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Monday. The Riyan Parag-led side thrashed the Super Kings by 8 wickets after bowlers and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed thorough dominance at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. 

While the Royals dominated on the field, the contest turned out to be more emotional off it for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. He had joined RR after a trade deal between the two sides that also saw Sam Curran leaving CSK and Sanju Samson going to the Super Kings. 

In a heart warming moment, Jadeja was spotted in conversation with his former CSK teammate Khaleel Ahmed and later kissed CSK logo on his jersey. 

Ravindra Jadeja Surpasses Lasith Malinga

Ravindra Jadeja surpassed legendary speedster Lasith Malinga to become the 9th highest wicket taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Jadeja achieved this feat against his former team, Chennai Super Kings, in his side’s IPL 2026 opener on Monday in Guwahati. 

Jadeja proved to be dangerous for his former team, scalping two prized wickets of Shivam Dube and Sarfaraz Khan.

Jadeja now has 172 wickets under his belt in 255 matches at an average of 30.26, including a five-wicket haul. He went past Malinga’s wicket tally of 170 wickets.

Jadeja was part of the Rajasthan Royals’ historic 2008 title-winning squad, and later became an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings after joining them in 2012.

Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Jadeja played a pivotal role in CSK’s championship triumphs in 2018, 2021, and 2023 with his impactful contributions in both batting and bowling, along with his exceptional fielding.

Coming to the match, incisive bowling spells from Jofra Archer, Jadeja and Nandre Burger, and a sensational half-century from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi helped RR cruise to an eight-wicket win over five-time champions CSK.

RR opted to bowl first. Archer (2/19), Burger (2/26) and Jadeja (2/18) made CSK toil hard for every run as they sank to 57/6 at one point. Knocks from Jamie Overton (43 in 36 balls, with two fours and two sixes), Kartik Sharma (18), Sarfaraz Khan (17) helped CSK reach 127 in 19.4 overs before they ran out of batters.

Sooryavanshi (52 in 17 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (38* in 36 balls, with three fours and a six) set up a platform for an easy win with a quickfire 75-run stand.

(With Agency Inputs)

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