Riyan Parag was announced as the new captain of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026, in what is a big leadership move for the cricketing unit. The move has also been made following the exit of Sanju Samson who left to join Chennai Super Kings in a deal that was part of a high-profile trade transaction which involved Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran leaving for Rajasthan Royals as well.
The 24-year old Parag will now shoulder the burden of leadership in one of the toughest roles an IPL captain has faced. But it’s not exactly new ground for him. He has earlier led Rajasthan Royals in the 2025 season when Samson was injured. In those eight matches, RR could only win two but Parag caught the eye with the bat, averaging 38.57. His most memorable show in that period was a splendid 95 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens and it remains among the best innings of his IPL stints.
The hiring was the result of a formal, internal process. Head coach Kumar Sangakkara is said to have taken a few interviews of potential candidates before clearing Parag’s appointment. Having lost Rahul Dravid after a poor 2025 season, in which they ended second from bottom of the table with just four wins from 14 games, the franchise is ushering in a new era and handed Rassie van der Dussen and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara roles reflective of that.
Parag disclosed that he got the news during T20 Warm-up World Cup. A phone call from franchise owner Manoj Badale and Sangakkara confirmed the news to him. Parag said the pleasantries were over and done with faster than one could say congratulations, as they immediately dove into discussing strategy and plans for the upcoming season.
One of the biggest problems he immediately recognised was a lack of unity within the squad. The nature of the IPL format usually results in players being in and out of playing XI’s, resulting moving targets in a team’s chemistry. Parag spoke about how he was going to ensure all 25 members of the squad were aligned together and driven irrespective of whether they were picked in the XI.
There were others strong contender for this role i.e. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel. Parag did, however, express faith in their help. Jaiswal, he said, had congratulated him wholeheartedly and approved of his captaincy while Jurel, who usually sports a composed demeanour would be behind the scenes.
Parag has played all seven seasons for Rajasthan Royals since the day he made his debut in IPL back in 2019. He just has continued to mature, and 2024 looks like the season where he is going to take a massive leap. He finished the season with 573 runs, at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21. Overall, Parag has scored 1,566 runs and taken seven wickets from 84 outings for RR.
Parag’s maturity and self-awareness was lauded by franchise owner Manoj Badale. He spoke about how Parag has been criticized had tough phases early in his IPL career but also how he overcame those. Badale was also confident of the in-depth due diligence and feels Parag’s pursuit and exposure in top-flight cricket makes him a good fit.
Looking ahead to IPL 2026, all will be eyes on RR and how Parag delivers in the upcoming seasons. In a season coming on the back of new leadership, and fresh starts for its experienced acquisitions like Jadeja and Curran, the franchise is keen to make amends after a tough outing last time. Whether this turn of events pays off will become apparent in the coming months.
