Ravindra Jadeja achieved a historic milestone and set an all-time Indian Premier League (IPL) record as he made his second debut for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) against his former side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Monday (March 30) in the first match of the 2026 season for both sides.
Jadeja put up an impressive display as the Royals thrashed the Super Kings by nine wickets.
The star all-rounder made a big impact in his first over as he dismissed both Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube, which ensured that things went from bad to worse for the five-time champions as they found themselves reeling at 57-6. Jadeja finished with figures of 18-2 in three overs while CSK was bowled out for 127. He did not get a chance to bat as the 2008 champions sealed a thumping eight-wicket victory with 37 balls to spare.
For those unversed, Jadeja moved to the Royals last season in a trade move that saw Sanju Samson join CSK. The 37-year-old is among the greatest players in the Chennai-based franchise’s history. He was part of the Men in Yellow since 2012 and helped them win three titles.
Ravindra Jadeja Creates History
This marks a homecoming for Jadeja as he started his
career in 2008 with the Royals. He was a key part of the Shane Warne-led side, which lifted the trophy in the inaugural edition. The Indian cricket legend also played for RR in 2009 but missed the 2010 edition due to a suspension from the BCCI.
Before today, Jadea’s last outing for RR in an IPL match was on May 20, 2009 (6158 days ago) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Durban. The 17-year gap is the longest by a player between two appearances for the same franchise. The record was previously held by Karn Sharma, who waited 14 years to play for RCB. Interestingly, the four-time IPL-winner was Jadeja’s teammate at
from 2018 to 2021.
Longest Gap Between Two Appearances for Same Team In IPL History
| Player | Gap (Days) | Team | Start | End |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 6158 | RR | May 20, 2009 | March 30, 2026 |
| Karn Sharma | 5093 | RCB | April 22, 2009 | April 3, 2023 |
| Mandeep Singh | 4751 | KKR | March 29, 2010 | April 1, 2023 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 4423 | RCB | April 13, 2023 | May 23, 2025 |
| Vijay Shankar | 3974 | CSK | May 13, 2014 | March 30, 2025 |
However, Jadeja is third among the matches played by a franchise between two appearances in men’s T20 across all competitions. The Royals played 214 matches in the time when the legendary all-rounder was not part of their squad. It is also beaten by Karn (225 – 2009 to 2023) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (238 – 2009 to 2025) for RCB.
It is worth pointing out that Bhuvneshwar never played for RCB during his first stint (2009 to 2010) but featured in one Champions League T20 game in 2009 for the franchise under Anil Kumble’s captaincy.