Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni with the IPL 2023 Trophy
In this blog, we will take a look at the story behind Jadeja’s ban in the IPL. This incident shook the cricket world, as Jadeja was one of the rising stars at the time. Join us as we dive into the details of what happened, why he was banned, and how it affected his career in the IPL.
In the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, Ravindra Jadeja was a part of the Rajasthan Royals. He played the first season for them, where Rajasthan was also able to win their first and only IPL title. Jadeja played 14 matches for the team and scored 135 runs in 9 innings at an average of 19.28 runs, and also maintained a strike rate of 131.06. With the bowl, he was not able to take even a single wicket in his first IPL season, bowling 13 balls in two innings and having a massive economy rate of 9.69, due to which he did not receive many opportunities to bowl for the Rajasthan Royals.
| Year | Matches | Not Out | Runs | High Score | Average | Strike Rate |
| 2008 | 14 | 2 | 135 | 36* | 19.28 | 131.06 |
| 2009 | 13 | 2 | 295 | 42 | 26.81 | 110.90 |
| Year | Matches | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| 2008 | 14 | 0 | – | – | 9.69 | – |
| 2009 | 13 | 6 | 3/15 | 25.16 | 6.47 | 23.33 |
But in the IPL 2009 season, Ravindra Jadeja performed well for the team with both bat and ball. In 13 matches, Jadeja was able to score 295 runs at an average of 26.81 and a strike rate of 110.90. His highest score this season was 42 runs off 32 balls in the match against Mumbai Indians, where he was also the second-highest scorer for the team, followed by Rob Quiney, who scored 51. Jadeja also took 6 wickets in this season at an average of 25.16 and an economy rate of 6.47 runs per over. His best bowling figures came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where Jadeja took 3 wickets and conceded just 15 runs in 4 overs, putting down his economy rate at just 6.47 runs per over. Having such a good season with his performances for Rajasthan Royals, Ravindra Jadeja was able to maintain his momentum in the 2009 edition.
After having played for the Rajasthan Royals for two seasons, Ravindra Jadeja was also available to play for the team in the 2010 edition. However, things didn’t go as expected, as Jadeja received a ban from the Indian Premier League by the BCCI following the breach of contract he made before the 2010 edition. It happened because he failed to sign his contract with the Rajasthan Royals on time and was also in talks with the Mumbai Indians, which totally went against the contract and rules of the tournament. This also made the IPL and BCCI bodies question the loyalty that players were not able to show to their franchises in the initial stages of the tournament.
When the Indian Premier League started first in 2008, Ravindra Jadeja was bought by Rajasthan Royals, and the franchise signed a three-year contract with him. Under the leadership of Shane Warne, Jadeja also played a critical role in the team winning its first and only IPL title in the inaugural season. Once he finished playing the first two seasons for the team, it was reported that Jadeja had declined the offer given to him by the Rajasthan Royals to renew the contract for the 2010 edition. He wanted to take a look at the opportunities being offered to him by the other teams and achieve financial freedom, due to which he went against the contract.
In the IPL, strict rules have been made regarding player contracts and transfers, under which the auction and player deals take place between the teams. According to the rules, a player who is currently under a contract with a team cannot have talks for a deal with another franchise without getting proper consent from his team. Since the Rajasthan Royals did not know about Jadeja talking with Mumbai Indians during the contract time, he received a suspension for the 2010 edition.
The IPL issued a notice for the same, saying,
Thus, Ravindra Jadeja committed a breach on two counts; firstly, by not signing the contract with the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2010, wherein he wanted to declare himself free from contractual obligations and failed to discharge his obligations under the player trading rules. Secondly, Jadeja’s act of meeting representatives of the Mumbai Indians franchise and sending his contract documents to them for inspection, and his own admission that he received documents from Mumbai Indians and used them for representation purposes to the governing council, reveal that he was indeed guilty of breaching the operational rules by approaching another franchise.
Rajasthan Royals did not have Jadeja available with them, and neither did Mumbai Indians get an opportunity to trade him for the 2010 edition. Following his comeback to the IPL in the 2011 season, he was a part of Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but the team dissolved in the same season.
Even after suffering a suspension from the Indian Premier League, Jadeja worked hard on his all-around skills, which helped him become a part of the Indian cricket team. He was also a part of the team winning the Champions Trophy 2013 & 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2024. Along with that, ever since his return to the IPL, he has been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings, also playing an important role for the team in the 2023 IPL finals, winning with two boundaries in the last two balls. Although most players got their careers almost finished after receiving a ban, Jadeja was among the few players who shone well and never looked back.