The trade of Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has left a significant leadership void at Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming IPL 2025. New acquisitions Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran have strengthened the team, but the question remains: who will be the new captain of Rajasthan Royals?
Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble and former CSK and India batsman Robin Uthappa have opined that the race to captain the 2008 IPL champions has come down to two names, leaving young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the equation.
Who is in the race for captaincy in Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals have taken a big step by bringing in experienced all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of the IPL auction 2026. They also acquired players like Ravi Bishnoi, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen and Vignesh Puthur in Abu Dhabi to strengthen their balance.
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However, leadership remains the biggest talking point after Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in return for which the Royals got Jadeja and Curran. There were already speculations that Jadeja had joined RR on the promise of captaincy, but during IPL 2025, Riyan Parag stepped in as captain whenever Samson was unavailable.
Parag’s captaincy reportedly caused unrest among some of the young players, while Jadeja has prior captaincy experience, having led CSK for almost half the season in 2022, making him the obvious choice for the captaincy.
Ravindra Jadeja or Riyan Parag? Robin Uthappa’s decision delays Yashasvi Jaiswal’s captaincy dreams
Uthappa believes that the captaincy race is likely to be between Parag and Jadeja, which could push Jaiswal into a waiting role despite his importance to the franchise. He also highlighted the depth of RR’s squad, and pointed to their wide range of options in different departments that could lead them to a strong season.
“The advantage Rajasthan Royals have is that they have 10 fast bowlers, who offer a lot of options. If they bowl in the right areas at the SMS Stadium in Jaipur, they can be very successful,” Robin Uthappa said in Geostar’s Tata IPL Auction Review.
With spinners like Bishnoi and Jadeja, support from Shimron Hetmyer and Donovan Ferreira and depth in the batting order with Dhruv Jurel and Ryan Parag, they now have a good squad. The only question is of leadership. I believe the captaincy will be between Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja, while Jaiswal may have to wait a little longer.
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Anil Kumble drops a surprise name to fix RR’s biggest problem
Meanwhile, Kumble described leadership as the most decisive factor for the success of Rajasthan Royals. He believes the team has a good mix of youth, experience and all-round ability, but clarity about the captain is very important for a change in the next season.
Former Indian head coach has described Dhruv Jurel as the best option for captaincy. “When you look at this lineup, captaincy will be the most deciding factor. If you want to replicate the personality that Sanju Samson brought to Rajasthan Royals, then Dhruv Jurel is probably the closest match,” Kumble said.
He signed off by saying, “Also, the squad is strong with talented youngsters, proven players and all-rounders. The fitness of key players like Jofra Archer at the start of the IPL is also important. Ultimately, the management needs to identify and communicate who will be the captain.”
