Rajasthan Royals marked a heartfelt moment for their captain, Riyan Parag, after a strong start to IPL 2026 that has drawn plenty of attention. Parag stepped into the leadership role following Sanju Samson\u2019s trade to Chennai Super Kings. Since taking over, Parag\u2019s captaincy has quickly become a talking point across Indian cricket circles, with many praising his bowling-fielding call-ups and in-game adjustments.<\/p>\n
RR posted a toss photo on X showing Parag alongside Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane. The image carried extra meaning because Parag previously played under Rahane during the time Rahane led the Royals. In the post, the franchise looked back at the skipper\u2019s pathway from being guided early on by Rahane to now appearing as a full-time captain facing his former mentor.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom being led by Ajinkya Rahane in his first days as a Royal to now walking out as our full-time captain against his first skipper, Riyan Parag\u2019s journey is a beautiful reminder that growth takes time, belief and heart,\u201d the Royals wrote. The message added: \u201cNearly seven years on, this feels special. Keep growing, Riyan Parag (C).\u201d<\/p>\n
The photo was captured on Sunday during the toss in Kolkata, where Rajasthan took on KKR. Parag won the toss and elected to bat. After the decision, he said, \u201cWin or lose, our strategies remain the same. Our discussions remain the same. We always try and look at the mistakes we\u2019ve made and try and look at what we\u2019ve done better and what we can do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Parag\u2019s leadership has earned supporters, it has also attracted criticism. Former India batter Kris Srikkanth recently questioned the Royals\u2019 approach, suggesting that Parag\u2019s captaincy was leaning too heavily on \u201cstyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, RR\u2019s head coach and Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara pushed back on those views, explaining the selection process that brought Parag into the role. Sangakkara revealed there were five candidates involved, mentioning Sandeep Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja among them. He said the team followed strict parameters and that the franchise held detailed discussions with each contender before narrowing the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were five candidates, including Sandeep Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja,\u201d Sangakkara said. \u201cWe had very strict parameters as to how we are going to choose, what is the process, so we had lots of conversations with all candidates and we realised all are very capable of captaining our side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sangakkara added that Parag emerged as the top option after the conversations, describing him as more settled and reflective in how he handled the questions put to him. He said the questions were tough and, at times, uncomfortable for everyone involved, but Parag\u2019s maturity and outlook stood out.<\/p>\n
\u201cRiyan came across as the top candidate because in all his conversations, he seemed to have matured a lot. He was very reflective in answering all the questions and the questions were very tough, targeted questions. Some of those questions were quite uncomfortable for all of them,\u201d Sangakkara explained. \u201cRiyan, with his maturity, his vision, wanted not just to captain but to lead the team, it made him the leading candidate. We went with an open mind and gave due respect to all the players, gave all an equal chance and picked the best candidate,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rajasthan Royals marked a heartfelt moment for their captain, Riyan Parag, after a strong start to IPL 2026 that has drawn plenty of attention. Parag…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Riyan Parag leads Rajasthan Royals tribute","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Riyan Parag\u2019s captaincy ignites Rajasthan Royals\u2019 emotional IPL 2026 tribute\u2014after Sanju Samson\u2019s move, Parag\u2019s smart calls spark big buzz.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n