Delhi: After Sanju Samson going to Chennai Super Kings, questions are being raised as to who will captain Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026. Last season, in Sanju’s absence, Riyan Parag took charge of the team. Now this star batsman of the team has talked about the possibilities of captaincy.

Riyan Parag talked about the captaincy of RR

Parag has been the captain of the Assam team and he captained the Royals in eight matches in IPL 2025 when Samson was not available. He said, “I captained the team in seven to eight matches last season. When we used to discuss decisions in the dressing room, I took the right decisions in 80-85 percent of the cases.”

Parag told that at present he is not thinking much about the responsibility of captaincy. He said, “Manoj (Badle) sir has said that the captaincy decision will be taken after the auction. If I think about it now, my mental condition will get spoiled. If the team management feels that I am right for the captaincy, then I am ready to raise my hand. And if the team feels that I can contribute more as a player, then I am ready for that too.”

He also said that captaincy is not limited to just making strategies on the field. Parag said, “Everyone thinks captaincy is easy. Yes, there is popularity involved, but it is only 20 per cent of cricket. You have to attend meetings, sponsor shoots and answer media questions. I have to develop myself in these things.”

Who are the captaincy options?

After the departure of Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals are looking for a new captain. There are options like Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel in the team. Jadeja has previous experience of captaining CSK, but at this stage of his career he does not want to take additional responsibility.

At the same time, Sanju Samson will not be the captain of Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026. The team has confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will take over the captaincy again after the injury last season. MS Dhoni led the team in IPL 2025, but CSK was on the wooden spoon for the first time.