Rajasthan Royals (RR) is allegedly expected to announce a new leader in IPL 2026, with no possibility of continuing Sanju Samson as captain. Former Team India captain Rahul Dravid recently resigned as a head coach, and either Ryan Parag or Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to take charge of the inaugural IPL Champion.
Samson had allegedly shown interest in leaving the Royals before the 2026 auction, emerging as a possible destination Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Rahul Dravid’s second term with Royals suddenly ended after just one season in 2025. There is still uncertainty about Samson’s future as Captain.
Rahul Dravid comes out and Sanju Samson’s uncertain future
According to a report by Revsports, Rahul Dravid participated with Rajasthan Royals after disagreeing with management on cricketing decisions. The franchise offered him a “broad role”, which he rejected.
cricketballgame.com
Sanju Samson’s relations with Royals have weakened when he requested a release after IPL 2025. The wicketkeeper-batsman was approached by Chennai Super Kings for a possible trade.
In particular, Super Kings dismissed the conversation around a swap deal associated with Shivam Dubey or Ravindra Jadeja, and the five -time champion has cooled his interest in Samson.
Rajasthan Royals faced a big call on Sanju Samson’s future
Sanju Samson has been with Rajasthan Royals since 2013. He was appointed captain in 2021 and the next year the team was taken to the finals. The batsman was retained for ₹ 18 crore in the 2025 mega auction.
Manoj Badle, the owner of the franchise, will decide that Samson stays for two more sessions, trading before the next campaign, or the auction enters the pool again. He will also call on the issue of captaincy.
Samson was struggling with injuries in 2025, recalling five matches and many others began as an impact sub. Ryan Parag stepped as captain during his absence, but Royals finished a bad season, finishing ninth with only four wins.
With the team recalling the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, the speculation is increasing that Royals may hand over the captaincy for parague heading in the next year.
Set to handle from Ryan Parag or Yashasvi Jiswal Sanju Samson
The report states that Sanju Samson is unlikely to continue as captain, even if he lives with the franchise. There are different opinions within the camp about the successor of the skipper.
A group is supporting Ryan Parag to take charge, while another group feels that Yashasvi Jaiswal should be entrusted with the responsibility. Management of Royals, however, “has come down strongly”, wrapping any decision on the leak.
The report stated, “There is a school of the idea that even though Samson is kept with a franchise, he may not be released as a captain, as some bridges have been burnt. Within the set-up of royals, Parag has its own banks to handle the reins.”
“Another group is in favor of assigning the responsibility of Yashasvi Jaiswal. The people of the franchise are currently tight, afraid of the results for any leaks. It turns out that the management has” firmly down “.
Also Read: Apply for posts of Rohit Sharma’s friend and a controversial Bharat Pesar BCCI selectors
