Ravindra Jadeja is believed to have left Chennai Super Kings’ bio-bubble in Mumbai after voicing his displeasure about the manner in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke about leadership issues affecting his game following their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The star all-rounder is also learnt to have been unhappy with the way how the whole issue was handled by the franchise as he was interested in continuing as captain.

CSK had said on Wednesday that Jadeja would be unavailable for the remainder of the IPL because of a rib injury. Sources have told The Telegraph that the injury wasn’t serious in nature and there was no directive from the BCCI to release him.

Jadeja had a tumultuous IPL since being named the captain of CSK barely 48 hours before the start of the 15th edition. But his performance dipped and he scored only 116 runs and took 5 wickets in the 10 matches he played in as CSK languished at the bottom. Alarmed by the circumstances, the team management decided to reinstate Dhoni as captain after eight matches.

There are growing concerns about whether Jadeja will continue with CSK next season. The franchise maintains that he is very much a part of their plans and nothing has been discussed between them.

Murmurs of a rift gained credence after CSK’s Instagram handle unfollowed the all-rounder, suggesting not all was hunky-dory.

Such discord isn’t new in the CSK camp. The franchise has always been against the “prima donna” temperament of cricketers and has believed in harmonious co-existence of all the members, juniors and seniors included.

During the 2020 IPL in the UAE, Suresh Raina, one of their most successful players, was forced to return home on disciplinary grounds though the cricketer had cited “personal reasons” for his withdrawal.

Sources said what Jadeja was upset about was the “lack of transparency” in handling the captaincy issue. Moreover, Dhoni’s public statement on captaincy adversely affecting Jadeja didn’t go down well with the India all-rounder.

It is unlikely that Jadeja will be offered the captaincy again next season. There is already talk of promoting Ruturaj Gaikwad in the role with Dhoni mentoring him. CSK could also look to other franchises for a player with leadership qualities who could be roped in and groomed.