The inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals are set to begin their 19th campaign under fresh leadership after Sanju Samson parted ways with the franchise and in a decisive move, the Royals have appointed young all-rounder Riyan Parag as their new captain, ending weeks of speculation surrounding the leadership role.
The announcement was made via the franchise’s official social media handles on Friday February 13. While Parag was widely seen as the frontrunner, team management clarified that the final decision was far from straightforward.
In a special video message, franchise owner Manoj Bandhage and Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara revealed that seven strong contenders were evaluated for the role. Each candidate underwent detailed interviews, facing tough questions about tactical awareness, leadership philosophy, and long-term vision.
The shortlisted names included Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, and Sandeep Sharma—making it one of the most competitive captaincy races in recent IPL history.
Ultimately, Parag’s prior leadership exposure tipped the scales in his favour. He had already led Rajasthan in a few matches last season and has captained Assam in domestic cricket, demonstrating composure and tactical maturity beyond his years.
RR's previous captains and their success rate
Shane Warne- The Australian stalwart spin bowler, led RR to their first trophy in the inaugural season of IPL. He led in 56 matches and has a winning percentage of 55.35, in which he has won 31 matches.
Rahul Dravid- Carrying forward One of the most beautiful era of RR’s history, the wall led the jaipur based franchise in 40 matches in which he won 23 matches. He is the most successful captain for RR till now with a winning a percantage of 57.5.
Shane Watson- After Warne, another Australian Shane Watson stepped in as RR’s captain, he has led in 21 matches in which he has been able to win only 7 matches, out of all RR captains, he has the worst winning percentage of 33.33.
Ajinkya Rahane- Despite being known as one of the great captains, Rahane has failed to stand tall on the tag in the shortest format, he led in 24 matches in which RR won only in 9 matches with a winning percentage of 37.5
Steve Smith- One more Australian who led RR in its sweetest days, Smith had a extra ordinary record of winning in 16 matches. With a winning percentage of 55.55, He is one of the most successfull captain of RR history.
Sanju Samson- Sanju Samson has led RR more than any other player, captaining the side in 67 matches he has won 33 matches and has a winning percentage of 49.25.
Now Riyan Parag is all set to fill the big shoes, how will he cope with the new responsibility and the package of RR problems will be important to see, though many of RR fans has cricticised the decision saying, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the best choice.
