Decoding Ajay Jadeja's royal status: From cricketer to heir to the Jamnagar throne

If you had closely followed cricket around 1992 to 2000, then Ajay Jadeja on the field would have been a common sight. Regarded as one of the best fielders of the Indian cricket team, Jadeja, although retired from cricket early, but never went away from the game. He was seen appearing in different roles pertaining to cricket, including serving as a coach and taking on the role of a cricket commentator. But now, he is being seen in newer light after being declared the heir to Jamnagar. Does this make Ajay Jadeja the richest athlete in India? 

From cricket stadiums to commentary boxes and now a royal throne: What awaits athlete Ajay Jadeja in future?

October 2024, heralded a new dawn in the life of former cricketer Ajay Jadeja when he was declared the heir to the Royalty of Jamnagar by the current Maharaja Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji.

Ajay Jadeja was announced as the New Jam Saheb of Nawanagar (Now Jamnagar) and was declared as a successor of his uncle and former Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja. In a letter, Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja declared his nephew, Ajay Jadeja, as the new heir to Jamnagar's throne. This directly brings Jadeja to the line of succession and all assets of the Jamnagar royal family, including property rights, ceremonial titles, land acquisitions and other ancestral wealth would become his.  

Ajay Jadeja was a middle-order batsman and a brilliant fielder for the Indian cricket team; he represented the country in 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1992 and 2000.

Jadeja was once regarded as a very high fielder and played cricket for the Indian National Cricket team for a while. Post-retirement, he has been seen working as a coach and commentator which also brought him a good income.

Brand endorsements, reality television appearances and some on-screen appearances also contributed to his net worth. However, after the declaration of royal succession and heir, his net worth saw a high jump to almost approximately Rs 1450 crores, including portions of his inheritance to-be. 

Compared to cricket superstars like Virat Kohli and M.S Dhoni, Jadeja has a larger net worth owing to his inheritance. While Kohli’s worth is somewhere approximately under 1100 crores and MS Dhoni’s at approximately 1000 crores, Jadeja’s whopping 1450 crores figure beats them all. 

However, there is a flip side to this newfound fame. Not all the estimated richness always converts to cash in hand because with huge properties comes the expense of maintaining the same or legal expenses of acquiring the same. Moreover, while an estimate figure is always given, the net total worth is finally calculated keeping in mind the debts, taxes, expenses and much more.  

But to conclude one can definitely say that Ajay Jadeja is truly one of the richest athletes in the country as of now, unless someone moves a notch higher.

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