Riyan Parag Officially Confirmed As Rajasthan Royals Captain Ahead Of IPL 2026

IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals (RR) have officially announced Riyan Parag as the captain of the franchise for the upcoming 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Riyan Parag Replaces Sanju Samson As Rajasthan Royals' Captain

Parag was named the skipper of the franchise after Sanju Samson cut ties with the Royals after eight seasons. In the previous season of the cash-rich league, Parag captained the Royals in a few matches when Samson was not fully fit to play both innings.

In the upcoming IPL 2026, the 24-year-old will be captaining star players like Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sam Curran, and others.

"Royals fam, it’s time to get behind your new Captain," Rajasthan Royals wrote on their official Instagram handle while announcing the news.

Riyan Parag's Numbers In IPL

Riyan Parag has been a loyal member of the Rajasthan Royals since the beginning of his career. The 24-year-old made his IPL debut with the Rajasthan-based franchise in 2019.

The top-order batter has featured in 84 matches and 72 innings for the Royals, scoring 1,566 runs at a strike rate of 141.84 and an average of 26.10. While he is yet to register his maiden century in the iconic T20 tournament, he has notched up seven half-centuries for the franchise.

After being named captain of the Rajasthan-based franchise, Parag had a little request from the Royals fans. The newly appointed captain asked the fans to support the franchise in this transition phase.

"My request is going to be just support us through this. Watch how we compete, we are gong to be at 100%. Come game day, come the first game of the IPL , but you have got to understand it's a new team. It's a transitio, a new captain. We just want a little faith, little time. we just want a little love and support, and hopefully the transition that happened before is going to happen and repeat itself again, asnd we end up winning the trophy," Parag said in a video shared by Rajasthan Royals on their official social media handle.

In IPL 2025, the Rajasthan Royals endured a disappointing campaign. They finished ninth on the points table with just eight points and a net run rate of -0.549. Over the course of 14 matches, the Royals managed only four wins while suffering 10 defeats in the 18th season of the cash-rich league.