Riyan Parag appointed Rajasthan Royals captain for IPL 2026 season

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have appointed Riyan Parag as their captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The 24-year-old all-rounder brings valuable leadership experience at both the domestic and franchise levels, having previously led the Royals in eight matches during the 2025 season when regular skipper Sanju Samson was sidelined due to injury.

RR officially announced Parag’s appointment on February 13. In a recorded message shared by the franchise, the newly named captain revealed that he was informed about the decision by head coach Kumar Sangakkara and team owner Manoj Badale ahead of a T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up fixture against the United States.

"A lot of emotions, but then straight to the matter, like what do I need to do next? Like what do we need to change, or do better to finish in a better place?," said Parag on Instagram.

Parag edged out contenders such as Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal to secure the full-time leadership role. The Royals were in need of a new captain after Sanju Samson’s off-season trade to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the auction. During his stint as stand-in skipper in 2025, Parag led RR in eight matches, guiding the team to two victories.

As the IPL 2026 season approaches, the Royals will aim to end their prolonged title drought and add a second trophy to their cabinet. Their only IPL triumph came in the inaugural 2008 season under the leadership of the legendary Shane Warne.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the official schedule for the 2026 season soon. The organisers are currently finalising the dates, ensuring they do not clash with the upcoming state elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, home to CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), respectively. The new season is likely to commence in late March and run through late May or early June.

Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2026

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Kwena Maphaka, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Vignesh Puthur, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma, Aman Rao