Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2026 season. The 24-year-old batter from Assam takes over the captaincy after Sanju Samson left the franchise last year to join Chennai Super Kings in a trade deal before the IPL 2026 auctions.
Parag has been part of Rajasthan Royals since 2019. He developed as a key player for the team because of his progress as a middle-order batter. The franchise showed trust in him by retaining him for Rs 14 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction. Parag has played 84 IPL matches and achieved 1566 runs.
Parag received his opportunity to act as team leader during the time when Samson was not available. Parag captained Rajasthan in eight matches but managed to win only two. The franchise has given him complete control for the upcoming season despite his unsuccessful results with the team.
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Parag Preferred Over Jadeja, Jaiswal
For the captaincy role Parag was chosen ahead of experienced names like Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sam Curran.
Jadeja joined Rajasthan Royals in a trade deal last year and has earlier captained Chennai Super Kings. Jaiswal who was retained for Rs 18 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction has openly shared his wish to captain the side in the past. Curran also has strong leadership experience. He has led Punjab Kings in the IPL and guided Desert Vipers to their first International League T20 title in January 2026.
Rajasthan Royals chose Parag to be their leader despite having several candidates. The franchise wants to develop a youthful foundation while entrusting long-term duties to a player who has spent many years with them.
Parag will become the seventh full-time captain of Rajasthan Royals. The team has had legendary players Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson lead them before him.
All attention will now focus on Riyan Parag as he begins his new journey with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026.
