Who will lead Rajasthan Royals after Sanju Samson’s exit? Riyan Parag breaks silence on captaincy buzz
With Sanju Samson leaving the Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026, speculations are swirling around the franchise’s next leader. Young all-rounder Riyan Parag has finally responded to the rumors linking him to the captaincy role. Here’s what he said and what it means for RR moving forward.
Rajasthan Royals standout Riyan Parag has responded to his potential to become the team’s new captain for IPL 2026 following the departure of former skipper Sanju Samson. Parag managed RR in eight matches last season and is among the candidates to take on the leadership role on a permanent basis.
Samson completed his remarkable 10-year tenure with the Rajasthan Royals and made a high-profile move to Chennai Super Kings in a trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Responding to the rumours, Parag spoke about the challenges of leadership and stated that the franchise is expected to announce its new captain after the IPL 2026 mega auction on December 16.
“I captained 7 to 8 matches in the IPL last season. When we analyzed the decisions in the dressing room, I did things right 80 to 85 percent of the time,” Sportstar quoted Riyan Parag as saying. he said.
“Manoj [Badale] sir said the decision [on captaincy] It will be purchased after the tender. If I think about this now, I will destroy my mental space. I am ready to raise my hand if the team management thinks I am suitable for captaincy. “If they think I can contribute more as a player, I am ready for that,” he said.
“Everyone has the misconception that captaincy is easy. Yes, there is an element of fame in captaincy, but it reduces the cricket element to 20 percent. You have to attend all meetings, participate in sponsor shoots, be accountable to the media. Personally, I need to improve these.”
In addition to Parag, Rajasthan Royals have several potential candidates for the captaincy including Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Jaiswal and Jurel remained with the team, Jadeja returned to RR via a trade from Chennai Super Kings. Samson, who captained the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was transferred to CSK for Rs 18 billion, while Jadeja and Sam Curran joined RR for Rs 14 billion and INR 2.4 billion respectively.
As for Parag, the 24-year-old has spent his entire IPL career with RR. Playing 83 matches for the inaugural champions, Parag amassed 1566 runs and took 7 wickets.
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