Riyan Parag has made it clear that he is not actively thinking about the possibility of becoming the captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR), but he is fully ready to take the responsibility if the management hands him the role. The 23-year-old led the side during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) in the absence of Sanju Samson, who featured mainly as an impact player before opting out of the season.
With RR selling Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, Parag is likely to be one of the contenders to take over the captaincy for the upcoming season.
“There has been no discussion yet about captaincy in RR. Manoj (Badale) sir (team owner) has told us that the decision will be taken only after the auction. I am not thinking about it right now. If I start thinking about it right now, it will be playing with my mindset and a huge part of the mental space will be occupied by just one thing – captaincy, captaincy,” Parag was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. Captaincy.”
He said, “If the team and the management feel that I am right for the captaincy role, then I am ready. Similarly, if they feel that I can contribute more effectively to the team just as a player, then I am ready for that too. My main goal is to have a season where I score 500-600 runs and take 10-15 wickets and help the team win the trophy.”
Parag led RR in eight matches during IPL 2025, with the team securing two wins under his captaincy. He also has leadership experience from domestic cricket, having captained Assam in all formats after being handed the T20 reins for the first time in 2021. In this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Assam have won two of their five matches so far and are placed fifth in the elite Group A. Parag said that the captaincy experience has played a vital role in helping him grow as a player and a person.
“Last year, I captained seven or eight IPL matches, and I don't know what people outside think, but when I went into the dressing room and analyzed my decisions with the coaches and data analysts, about 80 to 85% of my decisions were right. You learn a lot from it, and when you go to the big stage, you don't feel the pressure of how to captain or how to manage the team and the field. Overall, I always look forward to captaincy. I enjoy it, and it has helped me a lot to grow as a player,” Parag said.
Parag is also surprised by RR's entry into the IPL 2026 auction without a confirmed captain on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. The franchise goes into the auction with Rs 16.05 crore left in its purse and nine slots left to complete its squad.
“At RR, whatever major decision is taken, all of us are involved in it. Any major decision is taken only after consulting everyone. For example, now that Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) has joined, he will definitely be a part of our leadership group. There are about four or five people in this leadership group. If we need to replace any player in the team, or if we need to bid for a player in the auction, we will work with this leadership group and the coaching staff. Let's discuss, and only then the team owners take a decision. So I don't think we need a captain to go there and paddle for us before the auction,” Parag said.
Parag also talked about his close relationship with Samson and admitted that the wicketkeeper-batsman has been a guiding influence throughout his IPL career. He revealed that it was Samson who appointed him as vice-captain, a role which has helped him develop both on and off the field.
“Sanju bhai has played a huge role in my career. I don't want to think about him leaving because if I do, I would feel bad. I was very close to him, and when I first joined the team, he never made me feel like I was just a 17-18-year-old kid from Assam. Maybe it was also because he had a similar background and he also came from Kerala as a 16-18-year-old young player, a place where a lot of Cricketers don't emerge,” Parag said.
“He has taught me a lot and given me a lot of love. Over the years, whenever Jos bhai (Jos Buttler, who was with RR from 2018 to 2024) used to go back to England before the playoffs, [Samson] He would make me his vice-captain, ask me to attend team meetings, and take the lead in team meetings, deciding what to discuss and what the team should do. So I have learned and understood a lot from him,” he said.
Parag has been going through a rough patch in domestic cricket but is confident of returning to India's white-ball plans after making a full recovery from a shoulder injury. In September, he impressed with three List A fifties for India A against Australia A, but his form dropped in the unofficial ODIs against South Africa A. In the Ranji Trophy, he scored 100 runs in three matches, while in the SMAT 2025, his scores were 5, 15, 14, 0 and 5.
“Having played in the IPL and domestic cricket for so long, I have gone through these phases (of poor form) many times. Just because I am not scoring runs here does not mean I will not score runs in the IPL. There have been three or four instances where I have struggled in the domestic season but then done well in the IPL. There have also been two occasions where I averaged 45 or 50 in seven SMAT matches, but in the same season, I could not do that. Here Even scored 70 runs in 14 IPL matches,' Parag said.
“I even cried in the bathroom wondering why I wasn't able to score runs. I wondered, 'What should I do? Should I practice a little extra, or not practice at all, or just go on vacation?' I have tried everything. Now I don't think much about all that. Now, my mental state is most important to me, and I focus on enjoying my sport and my life; The runs will come eventually,” he said.
The right-handed batsman made his T20I debut in July 2024 and has featured in nine matches so far. He has also played one ODI, making his debut in August 2024.
Parag said, “So I wouldn't say that this form is a cause of concern for me. I don't see any technical problem in my batting at the moment. If there was any problem, my father would have told me; he watches all my matches. It's just that I am coming back from a shoulder injury, so I have to play a little cautiously.”
“I think it is because of this injury that I am not in the Indian team currently. Otherwise, I think I can play in both formats of white-ball cricket. As soon as my shoulder is fully healed, you will see me in the Indian blue jersey again, because I don't think I have done anything wrong or played poorly whenever I have been given a chance in the Indian team,” he concluded.
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