Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 IPL, stepping up after Sanju Samson’s off-season move to Chennai Super Kings. Samson’s transfer, which brought Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran the other way, left the Royals without a skipper; Parag, 24, was the choice after what the franchise calls a “thorough conversation, not just an interview”.
He is no stranger to the job. Last season Parag filled in for an injured Samson, guiding the side in eight matches. The results – two wins – were modest, yet his own form stood out: an average of 38.57 and a career-best 95 at Eden Gardens against Kolkata Knight Riders. Those innings, according to the back-room staff, showed a composure they believed could translate into full-time leadership.
Head coach Kumar Sangakkara, only recently appointed after Rahul Dravid’s departure, spoke with several players before settling on Parag. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel were in the frame, but the captaincy ultimately went to the all-rounder from Assam.
Parag recalled the moment in a video released on Royals’ social channels: “The night before the [T20 World Cup] warm-up game, I played against USA I got a call from Manoj [Badale] and Sanga [Sangakkara] that said, ‘congratulations you are the captain.’ A lot of emotions and then straight to the matter, like next season, what do we need to change or do better so that we finish in a better place.”
His first concern, he said, was unity. “The question that came to me was how do you get 25 different individuals on the same page. The nature of the IPL is that not everyone plays and if someone doesn’t play, it is natural for someone to drift away mid-season or the latter half of the season. That stuck with me and I started [thinking] immediately like how do I get 25 people on the same page this year.”
Jaiswal’s immediate reaction was positive – “The first thing Jaiswal said was, ‘congrats brother, let’s win it this time’” – and Parag expects similar support from Jurel: “Dhruv is on the calmer side, so he would not express it as much.”
Since debuting in 2019, Parag has been an ever-present for the Royals. His breakthrough campaign came in 2024: 573 runs at 52.09 and a strike-rate of 149.21. In total he has 1,566 runs and seven wickets from 84 appearances – numbers that suggest he is more batter than bowler, though he still turns his arm over when needed.
Owner Manoj Badale believes Parag has earned the promotion. “He’s been at RR for a long time and understands our approach and philosophy,” Badale said. “He’s always been an incredibly ambitious young man. He’s going to be in and around the Indian T20 team for a long time so he is learning from the very, very best.
“For someone so young, he has incredible self-awareness. He has had very tough times at the IPL. He came in as a very young player and there was a lot expected of him. And he’d be the first to say that he has had a couple of very average seasons and fans fell out of love with him for a period of time. He’s also of an age where he has grown up living with social media every single day and that’s taken its toll on him.
“The one thing I have absolute 100% conviction of is that we ran the best possible process. Whether we made the nest possible pick, only time will tell.”
From a tactical point of view, Parag’s elevation leaves the Royals with a youthful core – Parag, Jaiswal, Jurel – flanked by senior all-rounders Jadeja and Curran. How quickly that blend gels could define their 2026 campaign. Either way, the coming season offers Parag the platform to show he is more than a stand-in.
