Riyan Parag to lead Rajasthan Royals in the absence of Sanju Samson

Homecoming for Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag’s start to his captaincy career in the IPL will be made extra special in the second and third games. After playing against SRH away from home, the Royals will host KKR and CSK at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Parag will have a chance to lead the inaugural champions in front of his home crowd against two of the most successful teams from the IPL.

Parag has been a vital part of the Rajasthan Royals setup since 2019. Despite constant failures till 2023, Parag was backed by the Royals. He repaid the immense amount of faith shown in him in the previous season. The top-order batter scored 573 runs in 16 games averaging above 50 while striking at a rate of 150. He will once again be an important player for the Royal not only as a batter but also as a leader in the first three games.

Will Sanju Samson play in the first three games?

Sanju Samson is yet to receive full clearance from NCA’s Center of Excellence (COE). However, he has been cleared to play as a batter. Samson will be used as an impact player by the Royals and will not be donning the gloves. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel could be used as the keeper. He will only return as the skipper once he can either field or keep wickets. 

The Royals already have a depleted leadership group. They let go off Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin from their previous season. Both these players had some experience of leading IPL teams or international teams. 

However, Parag could find great support when it comes to leading the Royals from Nitish Rana. Rana has captained Kolkata Knight Riders before and is one of the most experienced players in their lineup.