Former Team India opener Kris Srikkanth claims that preferential treatment secured Riyan Parag the captaincy of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the forthcoming IPL 2026. Due to Sanju Samson’s numerous injuries, the 24-year-old, who has been with the team since 2019, captained the team in eight games last season.
But last season, RR finished ninth in the rankings with four victories in 14 games after winning only two of their eight games under Parag. In exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, they moved Samson to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the off-season.
However, RR management selected Parag for the leadership position despite the fact that the team included more seasoned Team India players like Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel.
Srikkanth discussed the same topic on his YouTube channel, saying:
“Everyone knows how he became the captain. He is treated like the king there. So, Yashasvi Jaiswal can only be a minister. Parag didn’t have a good season last year, but the year before last, he did brilliantly. Last year, he didn’t do anything deadly.”
With 393 runs at an average of nearly 33 and a strike rate of more than 166, Parag was RR’s second-leading run scorer last year despite his inconsistent play. In 2024, he scored 573 runs at an average of above 52 in his breakthrough season for RR.
“They are also a side that will self-destruct” – Kris Srikkanth on RR
Kris Srikkanth says RR is not a championship-winning team, despite having multiple match-winners, particularly in the batting area. Despite making an impressive final run in 2022, the team has missed out on the elimination stage in two of the previous three IPL seasons.
“It’s a decent side. They have the potential to upset sides. But they are also a side that will self-destruct. Yet, if two in their top five click, they will smash the opposition. The Jaiswal-Suryavanshi opening stand is their biggest plus. They are capable of winning matches singlehandedly. So they are a good side but not a dangerous one. They are not a championship-winning side. They are 50-50 even for playoff qualification,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
On March 30, RR’s IPL 2026 campaign will kick off in Guwahati against CSK, another last-year bottom-feeder.
