Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has thrown his weight behind Riyan Parag’s captaincy, even as the batter’s IPL 2026 numbers remain modest. After RR’s hard-fought win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, the franchise secured a playoff spot for the second time in three seasons, and Sangakkara said Parag’s leadership has already stood out despite criticism and a difficult personal stretch.
Key takeaways
- Rajasthan Royals qualified for the playoffs after beating Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
- Kumar Sangakkara backed Riyan Parag as “the right guy” to lead the franchise in IPL 2026.
- Parag has managed 272 runs in the season so far, with a strike rate of 152.80 and an average of 24.72.
- After taking over from Sanju Samson as captain, Parag has scored two half-centuries in IPL 2026.
- Parag returned from a hamstring issue on Sunday and made an eight-ball 14 as RR posted 205 for 8.
- Against MI, Rajasthan used impact and matchday bowling/ batting adjustments involving Dasun Shanaka, Donovan Ferreira and later Ravindra Jadeja, guided by Sangakkara’s injury management plan.
Sangakkara defends Parag as captain amid scrutiny
Sangakkara said Parag has faced sustained criticism for years, noting that even after joining the franchise there were always mixed opinions about him, particularly on social media. He framed the scrutiny as part of modern cricket’s reality, insisting that when the Royals decided to hand Parag the captaincy, they did so with conviction.
“I think I’ve seen very few players who have been criticised like Riyan has for about seven years now,” Sangakkara said in Mumbai. “Since I came into the franchise, there have been supporters of Riyan, but there have also been a lot of people who didn’t really like him, especially on social media. That’s simply the modern game.”
He added that the captaincy decision was not a gamble and expressed confidence that Parag will keep improving. Sangakkara said that, from what he has seen, Parag will mature as a leader, grow in self-awareness, and learn how to get the best out of his players.
“When we decided to offer Riyan the captaincy, he is the absolute right guy to lead this franchise. I have no doubt in my mind. And having watched him, yes, he will grow. He will mature. He will understand himself a lot more. He will learn to understand his players a lot more,” Sangakkara said.
Runs are down, but leadership is drawing praise
Parag’s batting output has been under pressure in IPL 2026. He has scored only two fifties since succeeding Sanju Samson as Rajasthan’s captain, and he linked his current run of low scores to a “tough phase” he was dealing with personally. The situation also took a disciplinary turn earlier in the season, when he was penalised after being caught vaping during RR’s match against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh.
In the lead-up to Sunday’s clash, Parag missed RR’s previous game due to a hamstring injury. Despite that setback, he returned for the must-win encounter, even though he was “not supposed to play”. He contributed an eight-ball 14 in RR’s innings, helping the team reach 205 for 8. Rajasthan then held their nerve to beat Mumbai Indians by 30 runs and secure their playoff qualification.
Sangakkara highlighted the captain’s mindset and commitment, pointing to the way Parag makes decisions and carries himself even when his body is not at 100%. He said Parag’s positivity is visible on the field and that the dressing room respects him.
“If you look at the calls he makes as captain, the confidence with which he drives himself, almost on one foot sometimes to come and play, there’s a huge amount of positivity,” Sangakkara said of Parag’s leadership in IPL 2026. “I think he’s captained exceptionally well. And when he’s in that dressing room, he’s got the respect of all the players and the staff. That’s all you can ask for.”
The head coach also suggested that the next stage is about building an even stronger working relationship between the franchise and their young captain, while continuing to develop him as a batter and as a person. Sangakkara described Parag as soft-spoken and determined, adding that what people see from the outside is not always the full picture.
“What happens in the next few years, I think it’s a really interesting relationship we have to build with the franchise and Riyan, and really help him develop as a captain, as a batter, as a person, and keep supporting him. He’s a very, very good young man. Sometimes what you see on the outside is not Riyan Parag. He is a lovely, soft, gentle, really determined, smart young man. And he’s learned a lot in the last few years. And he’ll continue on that journey. I’m very, very proud of him,” Sangakkara added.
Impact Player planning shaped RR’s bowling options
In one key earlier match against Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan found themselves in a precarious position after losing their sixth wicket with only 19 balls remaining in the innings. To address the situation, they brought in batting-allrounder Dasun Shanaka as the Impact Player, even though Jofra Archer had not yet batted. With no fifth frontline bowling option available due to the batting situation, Rajasthan needed Shanaka and Donovan Ferreira to cover that role.
Sunday’s game against Mumbai Indians followed a different pattern. Rajasthan lost their fifth wicket with 43 balls left in the innings, but they still sent Archer in at No. 7, despite having Shubham Dubey available later in the order. Once Dubey fell in the 18th over, RR replaced him with Ravindra Jadeja as the Impact Player, while Archer finished with a 15-ball 32—his highest score in IPL history.
Why Shanaka and Jadeja were used—plus injury management
Sangakkara explained the tactical reasoning behind not pushing for another batter at the stage RR needed to control their bowling resources. He said that forcing an extra batter would have meant using four overs from Dasun Shanaka, which he felt was too risky on that kind of pitch.
“Today, if we had pushed another batter, we would have had to bowl four of Dasun Shanaka,” Sangakkara said. “And that’s a tough one on a wicket like this. So we would like to push as much as possible, extend our resources, see where we get to, and if we’re only left with no choice. That’s why we played Dasun in the first place as well. He batted exceptionally well today, and bowled well too.”
He also described how the Impact Player rule gives teams flexibility, but can create confusion when too many options are available. Sangakkara said their planning is based on whether they want to carry five or six bowlers, and that fielding first generally makes five bowlers more than sufficient, with a sixth option available if the batting goes well.
“We are pretty well-versed in how we want to use [the impact sub]. It just depends whether you want to play five or six bowlers. And usually if you’re fielding first, I think five bowlers are more than enough. And then if you bat well, you’ll have a sixth. Sometimes when you have too many options also, it gets a little confusing. But I thought we had used that option really well this season,” Sangakkara said.
The coach further revealed that RR delayed the decision to bring Jadeja in as an Impact Player because of injury management. Sangakkara said Jadeja had been nursing an injury and that the team had to handle his workload carefully. He added that long batting spells increase pressure and stress for a player who is still recovering, so the timing of Jadeja’s involvement depended on his rest period.
“He’s been nursing an injury,” Sangakkara said. “And we’ve had to manage him quite sensitively. So for him to go out and bat for long periods of time, it puts a lot of pressure on him, a lot of stress on him. So until he gets maybe another two days of rest, then we can use him even better. The way he batted today was pretty exceptional.”
