IPL 2026: Riyan Parag Takes Charge as Rajasthan Royals Captain

The Rajasthan Royals will appoint Riyan Parag as captaining the team for the Indian Premier League 2026 season; they were in desperate need of a captain after trading their long-time leader Sanju Samson for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to the Chennai Super Kings. There were several other candidates besides Riyan Parag, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja. Ultimately, they chose Parag as their captain. 

I feel he has been a part of Rajasthan since 2018, they have been saying since he joined the franchise he would be a future captain. Last season, when Sanju was injured, he led the team in eight out of the fourteen group stage matches played within the IPL. He also captained the domestic side of Assam cricket.

Riyan Parag Named New Captain of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026

“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,” Parag said.

It has been reported that Riyan Parag would be the next captain of the Rajasthan Royals, and now he has been officially announced as captain in a live announcement by the Rajasthan Royals. When asked about it, Riyan said that when the decision was made by RR owner Manoj Badale and head coach Kumar Sangakkara, he was informed about this prior to the India A vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 Warm Up Game.