The ongoing international player quota issue appears to be the main obstacle preventing the much-discussed Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson trade from moving forward. But here’s where it gets interesting and potentially controversial: despite nearly 48 hours passing since both the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals submitted their Expressions of Interest (EoI), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to receive an official request for approval.
Sources suggest that the hold-up stems from a procedural complication involving the inclusion of a third player in the trade. This third player is an overseas cricket star, which complicates the process because the Royals’ overseas quota is already fully occupied. According to league regulations, they cannot add another foreign player—specifically, England’s Sam Curran—unless they first release an existing overseas player. And this is where the challenge intensifies.
Adding to the complication, the Royals currently have a very limited remaining salary cap—only Rs 30 lakh—whereas Curran’s market value in the auction is approximately Rs 2.4 crore. As of Tuesday, November 11, their squad includes eight overseas players—Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius—alongside 14 Indian players. The team can, however, expand their squad to the maximum permissible size of 25 players, but only if they free up enough funds and stay within the overseas quota limit.
The straightforward part of the deal—Jadeja for Samson—does not present any hurdles since it involves only Indian players swapping places between teams. The Royals currently have a squad of 22 players, so they could add up to three more if they meet certain conditions. These include sufficient budget and compliance with the overseas player cap.
The solution likely involves releasing an overseas player with a valuation exceeding Rs 2.4 crore. Reports indicate that the Royals are considering releasing their two Sri Lankan spinners—Wanindu Hasaranga at Rs 5.25 crore and Maheesh Theekshana at Rs 4.40 crore—potentially freeing up both overseas slots and funds. This move, however, is probably only to be executed after the November 15 deadline for franchise retentions when teams must publicly announce their retained and released players. The trade could be finalized around then unless the Royals decide to finalize their retentions earlier.
Given the additional time needed for the approval process, there remains a chance—though perhaps slim—that unforeseen delays, or even changes of heart from either franchise or player, could cause the deal to fall through. But according to insiders, “possible but unlikely”—once both sides have come this far, the chances of a walk-away diminish. One source emphasized, “I cannot guarantee it won’t be stalled, but the probability of backing out is low.”
In reality, the onus is on the Royals to act swiftly if they truly intend to make the Jadeja deal happen. The ball is squarely in their court, and time will tell whether they can overcome these bureaucratic and financial hurdles to seal the trade.
