Big announcement by Rajasthan Royals before IPL 2026, command of the team handed over to this player, not Jadeja or Yashasvi Jaiswal.

By Sandy Verma On Feb 14, 2026

Before IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals have given a big decision regarding the command of the team. The franchise has expressed confidence in the young Indian batsman by leaving out the experienced names. This player has already led the team in some matches. In the new season, he will have a big challenge to bring the team back on track.

Before IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals have made a big announcement regarding captaincy. Sharing information on its social media account, the franchise has appointed young middle order batsman Riyan Parag as the new captain of the team. 24-year-old Parag has been a part of Rajasthan Royals since 2019 and now he will take charge of the team in place of Sanju Samson.

Actually, Sanju Samson joined Chennai Super Kings through a trade deal last year in the exchange of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Now the franchise has placed bets on new leadership keeping the future in mind.

Rajasthan Royals had retained Riyan Parag for Rs 14 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Till now he has scored 1566 runs in 84 matches of IPL. Last season, in the absence of Samson, Parag captained the team in eight matches, although Rajasthan was able to win only two matches.

In the captaincy race, Parag was given preference over big names like Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jadeja has previously captained Chennai Super Kings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal had publicly expressed his desire to captain Rajasthan several times. Despite this, the management showed confidence in the young leadership.

Riyan Parag will be the seventh full-time captain of Rajasthan Royals in IPL history. Before him, Shane Warne (2008-11), Rahul Dravid (2012-13), Shane Watson (2014-15), Ajinkya Rahane (2018), Steve Smith (2019-20) and Sanju Samson (2021-25) have captained the team.

As the new captain, Parag will have a big responsibility, because last season Rajasthan Royals finished ninth in the points table. The team’s only IPL title came in 2008 and since then fans have been waiting for the trophy.