“Sanju Samson is irreplaceable like Virat and Rohit”: Riyan Parag on wicket-keeper batter leaving RR

Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag has opined on Sanju Samson’s departure from the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026. Samson, who was a part of RR for a long time, was traded to the Chennai Super Kings before the 19th season of the tournament. Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran joined Rajasthan in return.

Speaking about Samson’s absence, Parag said replacing him is going to be tough. He compared the wicket-keeper batter to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“We never thought about replacing Sanju bhaiya,” Parag told the media at a pre-season presser in Jaipur.

“We will have to find someone who has a similar skill set or bat in his position. It is like there is no replacement for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. There is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya. He is a good player,” Parag added.

Samson was a part of Rajasthan for 11 years and is their most successful captain and leading run-getter. RR made it to the final and playoffs in 2022 and 2024 under his captaincy.

Samson was in sensational form during the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and won the Player of the Tournament award for amassing over 300 runs, including three match-winning innings. According to reports, he was not pleased with the management of the franchises and decided to leave.

Rajasthan Royals are focusing on finishing in IPL 2026

RR skipper Riyan Parag wants to finish the games well in the new season of the league. Rajasthan lost several close matches last year, which led to their elimination before the playoffs.

“Our focus is on finishing games, which we failed last year,” he mentioned.

“We will have to plan well. If you look, we lost five or six games in the last over. Had we been able to close out the contests or calculated in a better way, we would have made it to the knockouts. If we execute those small decisions with better execution and planning, things will be different for us,” he explained.

Three or four decisions can change the course of the match in the T20 format. Rajasthan Royals will be hoping to convert gains into results as they look to become title contenders in IPL 2026.

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