NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson have long shared a close connection from their days together at the franchise. Parag has repeatedly credited Samson for guiding him during his earlier Royals spell, before Samson’s move to Chennai Super Kings last year. Ahead of the IPL 2026 meeting between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Parag spoke again about that influence—this time during the toss.
At a glance
- Rajasthan Royals captain: Riyan Parag
- Parag and Samson share a longstanding bond from their Royals days
- Parag said Rajasthan will bowl first after winning the toss
- Rajasthan made two changes: Brijesh Sharma out; Tushar Deshpande in
- Sunrisers Hyderabad made two changes: Praful Hinge in; Jaydev Unadkat out
- SRH also named Harshal Patel among the impact players
- Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande
- Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga
Opting to bowl, Parag explained the plan around the surface, noting it was a fresh wicket and that it could offer some early grip. He said Rajasthan have often chased successfully at this venue, but added that they fell short in 2024 and were hoping history wouldn’t repeat itself. Parag also pointed to the Royals’ personnel adjustments, stating that Brijesh would miss out and Tushar Deshpande would come into the XI, while Shimron Hetmyer would get a rest and Lhuan-dre Pretorius would make his debut.
Parag then reflected on his path into captaincy. He said he spent the longest stretch learning under Sanju Samson, before Kumar Sangakkara—listed as head coach and Director of Cricket—helped sharpen his decision-making. Parag described being involved in tactical and strategy meetings and said he now feels he has taken on the responsibility of making the tougher calls himself. He added that he is happy to be in the role and ready for the demands it brings.
Parag’s appointment as Rajasthan Royals captain came ahead of IPL 2026, following Samson’s trade to Chennai Super Kings.
SRH toss and team news
On the other side, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan confirmed two changes from their previous match. He said Praful Hinge comes into the XI while Jaydev Unadkat is left out, and that Harshal Patel is part of the impact-player group. Kishan’s comments focused on continuity and the need to keep the side balanced for the match-up.
Speaking about leadership, Ishan said he has carried the role for a long time, including his experience in Under-19 India and leadership for his state team. He argued that captaining helps a player read situations more clearly and stay more locked in on the game, because T20 cricket is never about individual output alone. In his view, the job is to drive collective performance.
He also suggested that captaincy can accelerate maturity, saying it shows growth when a player develops the right understanding across seasons. Ishan added that it benefited him over the last few years, helping him return to the Indian side as well—before finishing with the message that doing well for the team is exactly what he wants.
Playing XIs and impact players
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (w), Riyan Parag (c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande.
Rajasthan Royals (Impact Subs): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.
SRH (Impact Subs): Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel.
