Although Riyan Parag has stated that he is not actively considering being the captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he is nonetheless ready to assume the post should the management give it to him. Sanju Samson, who played mostly as an Impact Player before being sidelined for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), was replaced by the 23-year-old as team captain.
Prior to the IPL 2026 auction, RR traded Samson to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja.
As a result, Riyan Parag is probably one of the candidates to take over as captain for the next season.
“Captaincy has not yet been discussed at RR. The team owner, Manoj (Badale) sir, has informed us that the choice won’t be made till after the auction. I’m also not considering it at the moment. According to ESPNcricinfo, Riyan Parag stated, “If I start thinking about it now, it will mess with my mindset and a significant amount of mental space will be occupied by just one thing – captaincy, captaincy, captaincy.”
“I’m more than prepared for the skipper job if the management and team think I’d be a good match. I’m also prepared if they believe that, as a player, I can contribute to the squad more successfully. My first objective is to have a season in which I help the team win the trophy by scoring 500–600 runs and taking 10–15 wickets,” he continued.
During IPL 2025, Riyan Parag captained RR for eight games, helping the team win two of them. In addition, he has leadership experience from domestic cricket, having led Assam in all formats since taking over the T20 team in 2021. Assam is currently ranked fifth in Elite Group A of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), having won two of their five games thus far.
Riyan Parag stated that his development as a player and a person has been greatly aided by his time as captain.
“You learn a lot from that, and when you go to the big stage, you don’t feel the pressure of how to captain or manage the team and the pitch. Last year, I captained in seven or eight IPL matches. I’m not sure what people outside think, but when I went into the dressing room and analysed my decisions with the coaches and data analysts, about 80 to 85% of my decisions were correct.” All in all, I always love being captain, and it has greatly aided in my personal development,” Riyan Parag remarked.
RR’s entry into the IPL 2026 auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi without a definite captain does not deter Riyan Parag either. With nine spots left to complete their squad and INR 16.05 crore left in their purse, the team enters the auction.
Every significant choice that is taken in RR involves all of us. Everyone is consulted before making any significant decisions. For instance, Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) will undoubtedly be a member of our leadership group now that he has joined. This leadership group consists of four or five individuals. We consult with the coaching staff and this leadership group before the team owners decide whether to move a player or bid on a player at auction. Therefore, I don’t believe we need a captain to go there and raise the paddle for us prior to the auction’, Riyan Parag stated.
In addition, Parag discussed his strong relationship with Samson, admitting that the batsman-wicketkeeper has been a mentor to him during his IPL career. He disclosed that Samson was the one who named him vice captain, a position that has aided in his growth on and off the pitch.
“My career has benefited greatly from Sanju bhai. I’d feel horrible if I thought about his going, so I don’t want to. He and I had a great relationship, and he never made me feel like a 17–18-year-old Assamese child when I initially joined the squad. Maybe that was also because he shared a similar background and had arrived from Kerala, where few cricket players come from, when he was a young player, aged 16 to 18, according to Parag.
“He has shown me a great deal of affection and taught me a lot. Every time Jos bhai (Jos Buttler, who played for RR from 2018 to 2024) returned to England before to the playoffs in the past several years, [Samson] appointed me as his vice-captain, instructed me to attend team meetings, and took charge of the discussions, deciding what to talk about and what the team should do. Thus, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and insight from him,” Riyan Parag continued.
Despite going through a difficult period in domestic cricket, Riyan Parag is still optimistic about joining India’s white-ball plans if he fully heals from a shoulder ailment. He had made an impression against Australia A in September with three List A fifties for India A, but he struggled against South Africa A in the unofficial ODIs. He scored 100 runs in three games in the Ranji Trophy, but his scores in SMAT 2025 were 5, 15, 14, 0, and 5.
“I’ve experienced these periods (of poor form) numerous times because I’ve played in both domestic and IPL cricket for such a long time. I will still score runs in the IPL even if I’m not doing so right now. On three or four occasions, I have performed poorly throughout the domestic season but well during the Indian Premier League. Additionally, there were two instances in which I averaged 45 or 50 runs in seven SMAT games, but I was unable to achieve 70 runs in 14 IPL games during the same season, Riyan Parag added.
“I even sobbed in the loo as I tried to figure out why I wasn’t scoring runs. I used to ask myself, “What should I do?” Should I go on vacation, practise a little more, or not practise at all? I’ve made every effort. I don’t give all of it much thought anymore. The most important thing for me now is how I’m feeling, and I concentrate on having fun in both my life and my game; the runs will come later,” Riyan Parag continued.
Since making his T20I debut in July 2024, the right-handed hitter has appeared in nine games. In August 2024, he made his debut in a single ODI.
Therefore, I wouldn’t argue that I should be concerned about this form. Right now, I also don’t observe any technical problems with my batting. My dad watches all of my matches, so he would let me know if there were any issues. I just need to play a little more cautiously because I’m recovering from a shoulder issue,” Riyan Parag remarked.
“I believe that my current absence from the Indian team is due to this injury. If not, I believe I am capable of playing both white-ball cricket versions. I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong or performed poorly every time I’ve been given the chance to play for the Indian team, therefore you’ll see me back in the Indian blue jersey as soon as my shoulder is fully recovered,” Riyan Parag said.
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