Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar questions the appointment decision of Rajasthan Royals (RR) Riyan Parag as the captain of the team after Sanju Samson moved to Chennai Super Kings ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The Royals have performed well as a team in the current season. However, Parag has performed consistently with the bat since he started playing for the franchise in 2019. In IPL 2026, the right-handed batsman has scored 207 runs in 10 innings at an average of 23. This also includes 90 runs in 50 balls scored during the defeat against Delhi Capitals in the Royals' last game.
Parag also came into controversy last week when he was caught vaping in the dressing room during Rajasthan's match against Punjab Kings. Due to this incident, the Assam batsman was fined 25 percent of his match fee.
Speaking on Sportstar's Insight Edge podcast, Manjrekar said that Parag's personality and self-belief have always come through, but he admitted that he has not been able to understand the high level of trust shown in him by Rajasthan over the last few years.
Manjrekar said, “He is not one of your typical Indian players. He is fit and the way he moves and everything is swaggering. But I will say, after the kind of performances I have seen over the last few years, it is somewhat strange that Rajasthan Royals have supported him so much.”
Manjrekar further said that Parag's appointment as Royals captain was a move that 'made no sense'.
“I mean, Sanju Samson captained them for a couple of years, and then he was dropped, and Riyan Parag took over the captaincy. I don't know what happened there. But I don't think from a cricketing point of view, it makes sense. It's a bit harsh to say, but he's got a lot in the way of rewards. He hasn't really worked hard for those rewards. So it's a very interesting case concerning Rajasthan Royals,” he said.
However, Manjrekar appreciated Parag's confidence even if he was not performing well. The cricketer turned commentator also mentioned that Parag looks really good when he plays his shots but he often fails to convert his starts into goals.
“The thing that catches the eye about Riyan Parag is his incredible confidence. Even when he was not bowling, if you saw him in the field, the kind of work he did. It was almost arrogance for someone who was struggling to get fit or bowl. So when I look at his overall career as well, you would think he would have played a lot of innings of 14 or 15 runs, where he would come in and hit some great shots, and You will be surprised. And then the next one is playing the same shot and getting out.
Manjrekar said that Parag does not concentrate while hitting all his attacking shots and that is why he faces failure on some occasions.
“Ryan Parag generally plays sensational shots like that, but I think somewhere overconfidence, or whatever, keeps him trying to play those shots. And because he hits so many wrong shots and gets out, he is clearly not concentrating on every aggressive shot he plays. So he is an interesting character. He is the captain, after all; that is something I have never understood with Rajasthan Royals.”
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