Ryan Parag made his first statement after being appointed captain of Rajasthan Royals, in which he talked about Sanju Samson’s support last season, his bond with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel and the unwavering support of Rajasthan Royals fans who have supported him through every phase of the transition.
Rajasthan Royals moved on from Sanju Samson and released their former captain, who was later sent to the Chennai Super Kings camp in exchange for experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Making a quick change, the Royals had to hand over the captaincy to a relatively young player, who they plan to keep for a long time.
Riyan Parag was one option in the Royals deck who appears to have a long-term future with the team. However, the RR management had to choose from options that also included other promising youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel.
Riyan Parag reveals that Sanju Samson was the first person to support him for captaincy
In a recently released video, Riyan Parag revealed that it was Sanju Samson who asked him to be ready for the Royals after he got injured during the England series ahead of the 2025 IPL season.
“When Jos (Buttler) left during the eliminator, Sanju bhaiya (Samson) asked me to come in at second to help with bowling and things like that. That’s when I really started the whole leadership thing,” Parag revealed about the 2024 season.
After this, Sanju Samson got injured just before the start of the next season i.e. during IPL 2025, before the confirmation of which he had messaged this all-rounder. Parag recalls Samson saying, “If this happens, you have to come forward.”
Just two weeks from the start of the first game, the team management finally announced Riyan Parag as Sanju Samson’s stand-in deputy in the opening quarter of the season.
Yashasvi Jaiswal extended his support to Riyan Parag
While everyone on social media has taken a dig at Riyan Parag and supported Yashasvi Jaiswal for being the most deserving choice for captaincy, the players seem to share an amazing bond among themselves.
Riyan Parag revealed, “The first thing (Yashasvi) Jaiswal said was, ‘Congratulations my brother, you’ve won’.”
“That’s all I want from Jaiswal and Dhruv (Jurrell). Dhruv is a calm person, so he won’t express it that much,” he said.
Made here. Tested here. Trust here.
Rajasthan, your new captain is here. motivInside the decision which opens a new chapter. Watch the last episode of pic.twitter.com/0d0HAkrC0d
– Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) 13 February 2026
Parag urges ‘trust and support’ from Rajasthan Royals fans
As Parag has been made the new captain of the team and the team has been revamped by the inclusion of many new names like Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran and Ravi Bishnoi in this edition, Parag has sought support from his fans and urged them to keep faith in him and the team.
“My request is, just support us through this. See how we are going to compete and give 100%. Come game day, come to the first game of IPL, but you have to understand, it is a new team, it is a change, there is a new captain.
He told Rajasthan Royals fans, “We just want a little bit of belief, we just want a little bit of time and we just want a little bit of love and support and hopefully the change that happened earlier will be replicated again and we will win the trophy.”
Also read: Yashasvi Jaiswal ready to leave Rajasthan Royals after being deprived of captaincy? “Quite possible”
