Ravindra Jadeja’s absence from the Rajasthan Royals’ line-up for their Indian Premier League 2026 clash against the Delhi Capitals raised a few eyebrows. Returning from his own hamstring injury, RR captain Riyan Parag revealed at the toss that the veteran Indian all-rounder missed out due to ‘workload management’. However, RR batting coach Vikram Rathour has revealed the exact reason on Jadeja’s absence for the Delhi clash.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rathour revealed that Jadeja was rested as he had a ‘niggle in his knee’, something which Parag did not mention at the toss after RR were asked to bat first by DC.ย
“He just had some niggle in his knee. They are just trying to manage that. They felt that if we give him one more game break, it would be good for him. That was the reason he was rested today,” Rathour said in the post-match presentation after DC won by five wickets.
What did Parag say at the toss for Jadeja?
Meanwhile, Parag did not mention any niggle for Jadeja while speaking at the toss. “But as far as today is concerned, thereโs just one change. Jaddu bhai misses out because of his load management and all of that, and Ravi Singh debuts for us,” Parag said.
Parag himself came in after having missed the previous match against the Gujarat Titans due to a hamstring injury. Shimron Hetmyer and Tushar Deshpande also missed out along with Jadeja for the DC game.
Jadeja continues to be key part of Indian setup
Meanwhile, Jadeja is still a crucial member of the Indian Test and ODI sides. India are set to take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test and for three ODIs in June right after the IPL 2026. The Test will be played from June 6-10, while the ODIs will begin from June 14 onwards. It remains to be seen if he is named in both squads or only for one.
RR lose to DC as playoff hopes take a dive
The Royals went down to the Capitals after failing to defend 193. This hit their playoff hopes as a win on Sunday would have taken them to 14 points and to the fourth spot in the points table with still two games in hand. However, they have slipped from fifth to sixth place with this defeat, and their playoff chances hang in the balance.
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