Rajasthan Royals set to appoint Riyan Parag as captain, overlooking Yashasvi Jaiswal

Star Indian all-rounder Riyan Parag is set to become the new captain of the Rajasthan Royals for the Indian Premier League 2026 season. The team made this decision after head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara spoke with several players. The Assam-based cricketer was seen as the best choice to lead the team in the T20 tournament.

After Sanju Samson moved to the Chennai Super Kings, the Jaipur-based team needed a new captain. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja were also strong choices. However, Parag was selected as the full-time captain.

This is not the first time Parag has led the team. He captained Rajasthan Royals in eight matches during IPL 2025 when Samson was not available, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. The team won two of those matches. Even though the results were mixed, Parag performed very well with the bat. His best score was 95 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Jaiswal’s Captaincy Hopes End as Royals Back Parag

Yashasvi Jaiswal had earlier shared that he wanted to take up the captain’s role. But according to ESPNcricinfo, the Rajasthan Royals have decided to give the job to Riyan Parag.

Parag has some captaincy experience. He led the side in eight matches when Sanju Samson was injured. He scored at an average of 38.57 in those games. His top score was 95 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. The team won two out of eight matches under him.

At 24, Parag’s rise as captain is an important step for the team. Many felt senior players like Ravindra Jadeja or Jos Buttler could take charge. But the management has trusted a young player for the long term.

Jaiswal Misses Out as Royals Plan for the Future

The move of Samson to the Chennai Super Kings ended his long time with Rajasthan. He led the team for many years and even took them to the final in 2022.

The trade brought Jadeja and Sam Curran to the Royals. Jadeja was also seen as a strong option for captain. However, head coach Kumar Sangakkara has backed Parag. This shows the team wants to build around young players for the next few years.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India will soon share the full schedule for IPL 2026. The dates are being fixed carefully so that matches do not clash with elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The season is likely to start in late March and end by late May or early June.

Rajasthan Royals Squad for IPL 2026

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