Riyan Parag replaces Sanju Samson to become Rajasthan Royals' 7th captain in IPL; ‘a responsibility I fully embrace’

Riyan Parag has been named as the new captain of the Rajasthan Royals on Friday ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing Sanju Samson. Parag's appointment was on the cards, after he led the side last season when a not-fully-fit Samson played as an Impact Player at the start of the IPL 2025.

Although he returned as the captain in the middle-phase, the Indian wicketkeeper batter was once again sidelined towards the end of the tournament with injury. With Samson traded to Chennai Super Kings in return of Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja, Parag's appointment was just a mere formality.

In the process, Parag joined an elite list of captains - Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith and Samson - who led the franchise in the last 18 years. Reacting to the responsibility, Parag said he is excited to work with the coaches and leadership group.

“Rajasthan Royals has been my home in the IPL since day one. This franchise has backed me, developed me, and pushed me to grow every season. To now lead this team is incredibly special, and it’s a responsibility I fully embrace. I’m excited to work alongside our coaches and leadership group to play fearless, smart cricket and make our fans proud,” an official Rajasthan Royals statement stated Parag as saying.

In the process, Parag joined an elite list of captains - Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith and Samson - who led the franchise in the last 18 years. Reacting to the responsibility, Parag said he is excited to work with the coaches and leadership group.

“Rajasthan Royals has been my home in the IPL since day one. This franchise has backed me, developed me, and pushed me to grow every season. To now lead this team is incredibly special, and it’s a responsibility I fully embrace. I’m excited to work alongside our coaches and leadership group to play fearless, smart cricket and make our fans proud,” an official Rajasthan Royals statement stated Parag as saying.

|#+|

List of Rajasthan Royals captains in IPL

So far, Parag has led the franchise in eight matches in stop-gap roles and won only twice. Ever since his IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals in 2019, Parag played in all the editions since then before cementing his spot in the playing XI in 2024. In fact, his best season came in IPL 2024, where he scored 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21. His best knock of 95 came against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata.

Overall, Parag played 84 matches for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 1566 runs and took seven wickets. Before Parag, Samson led Rajasthan Royals in 11 seasons and had informed the management of his wish to move away before IPL 2026.

Rajasthan Royals full squad for IPL 2026

Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Milne.