Ajay Jadeja Becomes Heir to a Royal Family, Suddenly Gaining Wealth

Ajay Jadeja Named Heir to Former Princely State, Surpassing Virat Kohli in Wealth

The sudden emergence of former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja in the news is not surprising for cricket fans. Last year, during the Cricket World Cup, when the Afghanistan team performed exceptionally well, credit was also given to their mentor and coach, Ajay Jadeja.

Recently, after Pakistani cricketer Fakhar Zaman compared Babar Azam to Virat Kohli following Babar’s removal from the remaining Test matches against England, Ajay Jadeja’s response reminded everyone of the historic rivalry between India and Pakistan.

However, just two days ago, news began circulating that Jadeja had overtaken Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in terms of wealth, leading to speculation about his financial status on social media.

So, what led to Jadeja surpassing Kohli?

The matter is linked to Ajay Jadeja’s connection to a royal family. Recently, during the Hindu festival of Dussehra, Jadeja’s uncle, Raja Shatrujaliah Digvijay Singh Jadeja of the former princely state of Nawanjangar (now Jamnagar), declared him his heir.

According to reports, the total wealth of Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is estimated at 14.27 billion rupees, while Virat Kohli’s wealth is estimated at 10.90 billion rupees. Following Jadeja’s designation as heir, his wealth is now said to have reached 14.50 billion rupees, surpassing both of them.

Jadeja’s wealth is reportedly a combination of his family’s assets that he is set to inherit.

Raja Shatrujaliah Singh made this announcement on Dussehra, stating that Jadeja’s ascension as “Jam Sahib” would be a blessing for the people of Jamnagar.

Ajay Jadeja comes from a prominent cricketing family in India. Before him, Sir Ranjit Singh and Dilip Singh were notable cricketers from this family. In fact, two major cricket tournaments in India, the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy, are named after these cricketers.

In addition, some members of the Jadeja family served in the military during the British colonial period and after India gained independence.

According to the Gujarat government’s website, the Jadeja family became rulers in Kutch when they were awarded 12 villages by the king of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, for their role in a battle. However, due to “court politics” and internal conflicts, they left their territory and established a new state in the Saurashtra region about 480 years ago.

The Founding of Jamnagar

During the reign of the medieval ruler Jam Rawal, a new city was founded in 1540, which became known as Nawanjangar. After the time of the Jam rulers, this area came to be known as Jamnagar.

According to the Gujarati Encyclopedia, Jam Rawal sought grain for his army from one of the criminals involved in the murder of his father, Jam Lakha. After being insulted with dust instead of grain, a battle ensued, and Jam Rawal established his rule near the Nawalakhi port in Kutch.

The official website of the Government of Gujarat states that after Jam Rawal killed his father’s murderer, Hameerji Jadeja, his two sons, Khenherji and Sahabji, sought refuge with Mughal Emperor Humayun. One day during a lion hunt, they saved Humayun, who, pleased with their bravery, supported them with his army to regain their lost state. Upon learning of their arrival, Jam Rawal left Kutch and moved to Saurashtra, where he and his brother Herdhul began capturing territories.

In 1540, Jam Rawal established Nawanjangar by seizing lands from the Jethos along the banks of the Rangamati River.

The Jadeja family in Morbi, Saurashtra, was a branch of the original Kutch family. Other states associated with the Jadeja clan included Maliya-Miyana and Kotda Sangani.

As reported by The Times of India, the Jam Sahib of Nawanjangar was famous for his vast and rare collection of jewelry. Notably, the Jam Sahib had a collection of emeralds that were unmatched anywhere else in the world, though others might have more in quantity, none matched the quality.

The History of the New City

During the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1663-1709 AD), Nawanjangar was under Mughal control and was known as “Islamabad.” Later, due to its buildings, residences, gardens, and amenities, it became known as “the Paris of Saurashtra.”

After India’s independence from British rule, the then-ruler of Nawanjangar, Jam Digvijay Singh Ji, played a key role in merging the princely states of Nawanjangar and Saurashtra into the Indian Union. After the establishment of Gujarat, Nawanjangar was renamed Jamnagar, and the current titular ruler, Raja Shatrujaliah Singh, has held the position since 1966.

Who is Ajay Jadeja?

On Dussehra, Raja Shatrujaliah Ji publicly announced that Ajay Jadeja had agreed to become the heir to the state of Nawanjangar. He compared Jadeja to the Pandavas returning from 14 years of exile and stated that Jadeja becoming Jam Sahib would be a blessing for the people of Jamnagar.

Ajay Jadeja’s father, Dolat Singh, had previously served as a member of the legislative assembly from Jamnagar. According to Dolat Singh’s Lok Sabha profile, he won elections on Congress tickets in 1971, 1980, and 1984, serving as a member of Parliament. He faced defeat in 1989 against a BJP leader. Dolat Singh was an MLA in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from 1977 to 1980. He was also a cricketer and had served as president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association.

According to Cricket Info, Ajay Jadeja was born on February 1, 1971, in Jamnagar. In 1983, Kapil Dev, who led India to its first Cricket World Cup victory, taught Jadeja some cricket principles. He won many fans with his aggressive batting, swift fielding, and quick running between the wickets.

Ajay Jadeja made his One Day International debut on February 28, 1992, against Sri Lanka and played his first Test match in November 1992 in Durban against South Africa.

Jadeja played his last One Day International (against Pakistan) and Test match (against South Africa) in 2000. According to Indian media, he faced allegations of connections with bookmakers in December 2000, which impeded his career at its peak.

Ban

The BCCI imposed a five-year ban on Jadeja from playing cricket, which he challenged in the Delhi High Court. Following the verdict, he returned to first-class cricket, captaining Delhi and Rajasthan.

During this time, he also made his film debut with actor Sunny Deol in the movie “Khel” and appeared in “Pal Pal Dil Ke Saath.” He has also featured in shows like “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” and Kapil Sharma’s “Laughter Show.”

Jadeja has served as the coach for the Delhi cricket team and was the coach of the Afghanistan national cricket team in 2023. Under his guidance, Afghanistan performed remarkably.

During his cricket career, Jadeja scored 8,304 runs in 294 A Series matches, 5,359 runs in 196 One Day Internationals, and 8,100 runs in 111 first-class cricket matches. Additionally, he scored 576 runs in 15 Test matches across 24 innings.

He married the daughter of politician Arun Jaitley and has two children. He played his last first-class match in November 2013 in Nagpur and is now set to embark on a new chapter in his life.