Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag has confirmed that the gap created by Sanju Samson can never be filled, and that identifying the T20 world cup star replacement is just as hard as identifying the replacements of Indian team stalwarts such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. One of the most notable pre-season deals was the exchange of Samson, the head of Rajasthan Royals between 2021 and 2025, on the Chennai Super Kings side, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving in opposite directions.
Samson became the most successful captain and run scorer in the history of the franchise having served RR in two separate terms a total of 11 years. Rajasthan Royals were with him to an IPL 2022 final and playedoffs in 2024. His height was further enhanced by an eye catching performance in the T20 World Cup where he played three consecutive game-defining roles to make India defend the history of a title, and he was awarded of the title of Player of the Tournament.
“If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is. We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skill-set or have someone bat in his position…It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma… In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said in a pre-season press conference as quoted by NDTV Sports.
Meanwhile, Riyan Parag also thanked Rajasthan Royals for backing him through some challenging seasons. He expressed deep gratitude for the franchise’s faith, which ultimately earned him the captaincy role.
Looking ahead, RR will kick off their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign against Chennai Super Kings on March 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition. We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches,” said Parag.
“I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different,” he added.
Parag also thanked RR for supporting him over a few difficult seasons in the past. He expressed gratitude to the team for believing in him, which has led to his being given the captaincy. On March 30 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, RR will play CSK to begin their IPL 2026 campaign.
“I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag concluded.
