IPL 2026: ‘He’s in my pocket’ – Jadeja shamelessly celebrates after dismissing Pooran

Ravindra Jadeja Played a game-winning all-round performance rajasthan royals Beating Lucknow Supergiants by 40 runs, the veteran all-rounder later looked back on his efforts with clarity, humor and gratitude. Jadeja, who was named man of the match for his unbeaten 43-run record and great touch with the ball, was heartfelt in his opening remarks. “Yes, it feels good, you know, to be the man of the match and to win the team. So, yes, I feel very good, but before I start, I want to dedicate this award to the Gujarat education minister because she told me yesterday that you will do miracles tomorrow. So I want to thank her.” Jadeja’s knock comes at a crucial time when the top order in Rajasthan is once again shaken. He revealed that the conditions were not easy and required patience. “Yes, wickets are not that easy because the ball is seaming and swinging. So I thought, let me bat as long as possible. That’s what I said to Donovan and whoever was batting next. So I just said to him we will bat longer because in T20 cricket, you never know. Last game, as we hoped, we delivered, like we scored 20 points in the last game. That’s the idea behind it. “ He also explained his approach against Mayank Yadav in the final, a match in which Rajasthan came out strong. “Yes, I think coming back from injury and bowling at this pace is not that easy. But I’m just backing up my strength and I’m talking to my partners and let’s support each other and let’s play good cricket. Because like I said, on this wicket, the ball has a lot of seams and the bounce is there too. So it’s not that easy to hit any shot at any given time.“ There was also a lighter moment when Jadeja spoke of the celebrations following the sacking of Nicholas Pooran. “Yeah, he was in my pocket (laughs). Nothing, just a random idea that popped into my head and I did it.” Jadeja highlighted how he adapts to circumstances by changing his pace when carrying the ball. “No, because the ball had a little bit of grip. So I was just thinking on this wicket should I bowl it faster or should I bowl it slower? So I thought, okay, I’m going to bowl some slower balls. Then I realized, yes, if I bowl slow, then I might get caught by the wicket a little bit. So this is what I want to do. “ He also talked about his specific plans Mitchell Marsh. “Because mid-wicket and long-on are shorter compared to other sides. So I knew he might bowl that ball at some stage. So I just bowled and mixed my pace, slow, wide and full ball. Today I was asked to bowl slow.” In a game where Rajasthan’s batting once again fell into a rhythm, Jadeja’s performance played a decisive role. His late flourishes ensured they posted 159 for 6 while the bowlers finished with Jofra Archerdid the rest, and LSG was eliminated with 119 points. On a night when Rajasthan needed someone to step up, Jadeja once again underlined his value by providing both with bat and ball.