Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag calls Sanju Samson 'irreplaceable': Details
What's the story
Riyan Parag, the newly appointed captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR) for IPL 2026, has called Sanju Samson "irreplaceable." The young cricketer took over the leadership role after Samson's departure to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Parag said that while they can't replace a player like Samson in terms of skills and batting order position, he is hopeful about a strong season ahead.
Samson
Samson is irreplaceable, says Parag
Samson, a legend of RR, was traded to Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2026. Parag likened the player to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and called him irreplaceable. "We can only try to look for players with the same skills [like Samson] and someone who can fill the hole left by him in the batting order," Parag said at an event in Jaipur. "Just like you cannot replace Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in any XI, Samson is irreplaceable," he added.
Strategy focus
Focus on right decisions in crucial moments: Parag
Parag stressed on the importance of making the right decisions in crucial moments during a match. He recalled how RR lost several close games last season, some even on the last ball. "In any 40-over game, there will be a few moments where you have to make right decisions and that's what I'll focus on," he said to the media at an event.
Team dynamics
Ravindra Jadeja's experience key to RR's success, says Parag
Parag expressed his eagerness to see how Ravindra Jadeja fits into RR's spin plans at their home grounds in Jaipur and Guwahati. He said that the main advantage of having someone like Jadeja is that he has played all the seasons, and that experience he brings will be very useful as we try to win those small moments.
Young talent
Vaibhav Suryavanshi will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal: Parag
Talking about 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has arrived with plenty of hype after a breakout IPL season and a good run with India Under-19s, Parag said he will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. The captain stressed on shielding Sooryavanshi from media pressure and letting him focus on his game. "This year, there will be hype and pressure naturally," Parag said.
Personal growth
Journey to captaincy, focus on upscaling skill base: Highlights
Parag reflected on his journey to captaincy, a major milestone for the 24-year-old. He said he has seen more downs than ups but is proud of himself for coming out stronger. "It has been a journey of lots of ups and downs, maybe more downs than ups," Parag said. Kumar Sangakkara, RR's head coach, also spoke about the franchise's focus on "upscaling" its skill base through auction and trade windows.
Squad
A look at RR's squad for IPL 2026
Players retained: Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, and Nandre Burger. Players bought: Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj, Vignesh Puthur, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Aman Rao, Ravi Singh, Brijesh Sharma, Curran (traded), and Jadeja (traded).