Riyan Parag is named the captain of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026 following the trade that saw Sanju Samson move to CSK and Ravindra Jadeja in RR.
In a recent development, Riyan Parag has been named the new captain of Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026. Even though Riyan Parag’s promotion comes after the departure of Sanju Samson, many suspected Ravindra Jadeja to be the next captain. However, rejecting all rumours, Riyan Parag has been named captain of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026.
Notably, Parag has led Rajasthan Royals before when Samson missed eight games due to injury. However, Parag’s track record as captain was not impressive. Out of the eight matches, Parag managed to win only two, though he ended that stint with his career-best 95 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
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Riyan Parag was among a few players with whom head coach Kumar Sangakkara had discussions before finalising him as captain. Putting all the doubts to rest, Rajasthan Royals announced the news on their official social media handles, across platforms.
Riyan Parag Topples Jaiswal, Jadeja’s Candidature
After Rahul Dravid’s departure from Rajasthan Royals, Kumar Sangakkara remains at the helm as head coach, and Rajasthan Royals will now have Riyan Parag as the new captain as well.
Riyan Parag has played all seven seasons for Rajasthan Royals since his debut in 2019. However, his best edition of the tournament came in 2024, where his tally of 573 runs was lauded, as he averaged 52.09 while striking at 149.21. Overall, he has played 84 matches for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 1,566 runs and picking up seven wickets with his part-time spin bowling.
This will be a new stint for Parag that will see him take charge officially. While Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja were among the contenders, Royals seem to have entrusted the Assam boy with captaincy duties after taking a sneak peek at his authority during IPL 2025.
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