Ajay Jadeja, a well-known ex-cricketer from India, has been declared the successor of the Royal Throne in Jamnagar, Gujarat. This was announced by Maharaja Jamsaheb of Nawanagar while celebrating Dussehra, and this puts Jadeja in the line to receive an estimated wealth of over ₹1,450 crore. This amount is mind-boggling and is enough to place him first in the list of richest sportspersons in India beating even cricketer, Virat Kohli whose worth is last estimated around ₹1,000 crore.
The loss of this inheritance further strengthens ties of the Jamnagar royal family with the chevornits family and especially the game of cricket. The eminent trophies of cricket namely the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy are named after Jadeja’s kin, KS Ranjitsinhji and KS Duleepsinhji respectively.
Cricketer Jadeja who played 196 ODIs and 15 Tests for India in the years 1992 to 2000, comes from a royal lineage. His father Daulatsinghji Jadeja was a three-time elected Member of Parliament from Jamnagar.
In a public address, Maharaja Jamsaheb stated his happiness regarding the pronouncement when he said, “Dussehra is also the day when the Pandavas were out of their exile and returned victorious. Today on the day of Dussehra, I am equally delighted that I have got some, or rather one, of my dilemmas resolved by none other than Ajay Jadeja who has agreed to become my successor.” He also noted the importance of this matter in relation to the people of Jamnagar, declaring that, “Ajay Jadeja assuming the duty of looking after the interests of the people of Jamnagar is very much a blessing.”
In 1966, the Maharaja himself, who was once a cricketer with Saurashtra Ranji Trophy team as its captain, became the titular head of Nawanagar. This family’s lineage can be traced back to the famous cricketer Ranjitsinh Jadeja, a ruler of Nawanagar from 1907-1933.
With this announcement, Ajay Jadeja will be entering into a new innings, this time from a cricket field to a royal palace which has the patrons of sports and service.