Leg and Off: Should CSK release or trade out Ravindra Jadeja after IPL 2025?

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) continued their horrific IPL 2025 season with a crushing defeat against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Delhi on Tuesday, May 20. The loss kept CSK at the bottom of the points table - a place they will likely finish at for the first time in IPL history.

Central to CSK's woes has been the number of underperforming stars, including all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The RR clash was no different as the 36-year-old endured a dismal all-round performance, scoring one off five deliveries and conceding 27 off his two overs with the ball.

It led to former Indian opener Aakash Chopra shockingly suggesting on ESPN Cricinfo that the franchise trade Jadeja after the 2025 season.

"Probably trade him (Jadeja). You have Dewald Brevis as your No. 4. I will bat him at No. 4 [instead of Jadeja]," he said.

Chopra's statement had CSK fans wondering if the franchise might be better off without one of their all-time heroes in the upcoming seasons. Jadeja was retained ahead of the IPL 2025 auction for a whopping ₹18 crores, having been part of CSK since 2012 (except the 2016 and 2017 seasons when CSK were absent from the IPL).

With a 2025 season from hell soon to end, CSK's focus should shift to their off-season strategies to return to the top in IPL 2026.

Should Ravindra Jadeja remain with the franchise after IPL 2025, or should CSK release or trade him? Let us weigh the different factors in both cases in the sections below.

Ravindra Jadeja's Numbers and Impact this season

Ravindra Jadeja's bowling numbers are shockingly poor this season [Credit: Getty]

Before jumping to conclusions, we must look at Ravindra Jadeja's raw numbers and impact in the ongoing IPL season. The veteran all-rounder started the 2025 campaign batting down the order before moving up to No.4 and 5 in the last few matches for CSK.

Jadeja has scored 280 runs at an average of 31.11 and a strike rate of 137.25 in 13 games. His bowling numbers are much worse, with eight wickets at an average of 38.37 and an economy of 8.81.

While the combined all-round numbers are impressive if seen from a batting all-rounder spectrum, the impact has been low. It does not bode well for Jadeja that his two half-centuries came in CSK defeats to the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Even after the move to the middle order, he has scored only these two half-centuries in seven innings, with sub-25 scores in the other five innings. Coming to the bowling, the poor numbers aside, Jadeja's one-dimensional ability hasn't helped.

Skipper MS Dhoni has often been reluctant to use the veteran spinner in the powerplay, against left-handers, or in the death overs. And when he has, Jadeja has failed to deliver the goods, raising questions about his versatility.

Investment vs Returns

Ravindra Jadeja's lack of match-winning returns has hurt CSK this season [Credit: Getty]

Judging a player's performance in a season solely by reputation or numbers is the biggest mistake fans and experts can make. In franchise cricket and the IPL, a player must be considered a commodity, with his numbers and impact measured by his retention or auction price.

For example, a judgment on Jadeja's numbers this season differs for a ₹4 crore player from a ₹14 crore player. The latter takes up so much of the total salary cap of a franchise that his performances must be high-impact.

In Jadeja's case, he was retained in the highest bucket of ₹18 crores ahead of the 2025 auction. Given that, his performances and impact have been considerably below par. The players in the ₹18 crore bucket should be among the league leaders in several categories and the MVP race.

Yet, in Jadeja's case, being one of the players questioned for CSK's dismal season is evidence of a poor Return on Investment (ROI). With his value possibly at an all-time low at 36, the franchise could consider releasing the champion all-rounder to the auction in the hope of acquiring him for a lower price.

What works in Jadeja's favor

Ravindra Jadeja has been one of CSK's greatest match-winners over the years [Credit: Getty]

Despite the poor impact numbers and ROI, a few things work in Jadeja's favor for CSK retaining him next season. For starters, a trade option is ruled out with the next auction being a mini-auction where the franchises retain most of their players.

With the likes of Krunal Pandya, Axar Patel, Sai Kishore, Harpreet Brar, and Mitchell Santner, among others, spread across the franchises, adding Jadeja at this stage of his career would cause redundancy.

Furthermore, even a mediocre version of Jadeja still offers much balance to the CSK lineup, with his ability to bat in the middle order or as a finisher. The veteran has proved his worth previously in both roles, playing a massive part in CSK's title runs.

These aside, CSK have historically been a flagbearer when it comes to sticking with core players to ensure high intangibles like experience and continuity are intact. Should these factors play a part in CSK's decision-making during the off-season, Jadeja will likely be retained.

Verdict

In conclusion, it is safe to say that a Ravindra Jadeja trade is all but ruled out. However, there is no denying that the veteran all-rounder's value has reduced drastically this season.

Hence, CSK might be better off going against their core values of continuity and loyalty and releasing Jadeja to potentially pick him up for a lower price in the 2026 mini auction. Yet, with that comes the risk that they might lose arguably their second most valuable player over the years to another franchise.

It is a matter of tangible gain (acquiring Jadeja at a lower price) vs intangible loss (breaking their long-time principles and losing one of their legends).

Final Verdict: CSK should tilt towards releasing Ravindra Jadeja and acquiring him for a lower price at the 2026 auction.