Written By: Akshat Jain | Updated: Dec 5, 2025, 10:45 PM
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In this collection of pictures we shall know who might be Rajasthan Royals' captain after Sanju Samson's trade to Dhoni's CSK before IPL 2026. Let's take a closer look.
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Riyan Parag isn't focused on the idea of becoming Rajasthan Royals captain, but he is prepared to take on the role if the team management decides to give it to him.
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Riyan Parag might be one of the options to become RR captain after the team traded Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings before the IPL 2026 auction in December.
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"There haven't been any discussions about captaincy at RR yet, Manoj (Badale) sir (the team owner) has told us that the decision will be made only after the auction. I'm not thinking about it right now either. If I start thinking about it now, it will mess with my mindset, and a significant amount of mental space will be occupied by just one thing - captaincy, captaincy, captaincy." Riyan Parag said.
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"If the team and management feel that I'm the right fit for the captaincy role, then I'm more than ready. Similarly, if they feel that I can contribute more effectively to the team as just a player, I'm ready for that too. My main goal is to have a season where I score 500-600 runs and take 10-15 wickets and help the team win the trophy."
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Riyan Parag was RR's captain for eight matches in IPL 2025 when Sanju Samson was injured, winning two of them. He has also led Assam in all formats of domestic cricket, first becoming captain for T20s in 2021. In this year's SMAT, Assam have won two out of five games and are currently fifth in Elite Group A.
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"In RR, any major decision that is made involves all of us. Any big decision is made only after consulting everyone. For example, now that Jaddu bhai (Jadeja) has joined, he will definitely be a part of our leadership group," he said. "There are around four or five people in this leadership group. If we need to trade a player in the team, or if we need to bid for a player in the auction, we discuss it with this leadership group and the coaching staff, and only then do the team owners make a decision. So I don't think we need a captain before the auction to go there and raise the paddle for us."
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