MS Dhoni-led CSK will free Rs 16 crore by releasing Ravindra Jadeja in IPL 2023 but...: Aakash Chopra makes BIG statement

Ravindra Jadeja, who was awful with both bat and ball in IPL 2022, was handed the CSK captaincy at the start of the season but couldn’t deliver for Chennai as the team lost six matches out of the first eight under his leadership.

CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings finished the IPL 2022 on a terrible note as they failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished ninth on the points table. CSK will look to start afresh in IPL 2023 and with Dhoni already confirming his participation in the next year's league, it will be interesting to see how Chennai go about.

However, it is yet to be seen if Ravindra Jadeja will remain with CSK or play for some other team in the IPL 2023.

Jadeja, who was awful with both bat and ball in IPL 2022, was handed the CSK captaincy at the start of the season but couldn’t deliver for Chennai as the team lost six matches out of the first eight under his leadership. The all-rounder then he resigned to focus on his game, with Dhoni taking back the leadership baton. 

However, Jadeja was soon ruled out of the tournament with an injury while many believe it may not have been the reason. Was Jadeja dropped by CSK, many argued. Jadeja too unfollowed CSK on Instagram which ignited the rumours.

Meanwhile, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reckons that the CSK will have to make one of their toughest calls with regards to Jadeja for the IPL 2023 season. 

Chopra stressed on the importance of Jadeja in the CSK setup and said, “There are serious question marks over Ravindra Jadeja. He was not available for the last few games and had even left the captaincy before that. He was retained for ₹16 crores but it seems he will not be captain next year.”

“MS Dhoni had clearly stated that leadership was affecting him. The news from the camp is everything is okay. But whether it is, we shall find out next season. If CSK releases him, they will be able to free ₹16 crores, but they won’t find another player like him,” Chopra said on his Youtube channel.

Notably, Jadeja featured in 10 matches during the IPL 2022 season, scoring 116 runs with an average of 19.33. He picked only five wickets in the tournament.