Table of Contents
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 concluded months ago. Now the franchises have moved on to the IPL 2027 season, as teams have appointed new head coaches and are also in trade talks with other franchises to transfer players. Amidst this, there have been talks of a captaincy change at Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Riyan Parag has been the captain of the Royals. He took over the captaincy last season after Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Parag led the side to the playoffs, but failed to qualify for the final after losing to Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2. He did well as a leader but has sometimes had problems with injuries.
Riyan Parag set to be removed as captain of RR; Yashasvi Jaiswal to replace
Riyan parag most likely to step down as captain🚨 https://t.co/b7TOVvk3FU
— ★ (@kadaipaneer_) October 22, 2026
As per Times of India journalist Sahil Malhotra, with the ownership change of the Royals, there is a high possibility of a captaincy change.
The new owners are rumoured to be planning to make Yashasvi Jaiswal the new captain. Jaiswal has been the deputy to Riyan Parag and was also the front-runner to become the captain last season before it was handed to Parag.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has also led the Royals in the absence of Riyan Parag, so it will be very interesting to watch whether the Southpaw finally gets his chance as a captain and leads the side, with very little leadership experience in the IPL and also in the domestic format as well.
RR ownership change awaits clearance from BCCI and IPL
In May 2026, the Lakshmi Mittal family and Adar Poonawalla acquired a majority stake in the Rajasthan Royals IPL franchise for USD 1.65 billion (approx. ₹15,660 crore), replacing a previously stalled agreement with a U.S.-based investor group.
The acquisition covers the entire Royals sports group, including the Rajasthan Royals (IPL), Paarl Royals (SA20), and Barbados Royals (Caribbean Premier League). However, final formal clearance and ratification from the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council remain pending as the deal moves through its Q3 2026 closing stages despite being cleared by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Riyan Parag record as captain
In 2025, he was the stand-in captain for Sanju Samson during 8 matches, recording 2 wins, 6 losses, and scoring 393 runs. He became the youngest captain in RR history and the fifth-youngest captain in IPL history. His best season was in 2024, when he scored 574 runs for the franchise
Last season, he also scored 309 runs as a captain, but his average was poor. In a total of 22 IPL matches, recording 10 wins and 12 losses, with a win percentage of 45.45%.
Riyan Parag was also involved in off-the-field controversy and was fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point by the BCCI after being caught on camera vaping inside the dressing room during an IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. Parag accepted his guilt of a Level 1 breach of the IPL Code of Conduct under Article 2.21 for bringing the game into disrepute.
