Parag to lead Rajasthan as Samson likely to play as impact sub for first three affairs
In a fresh blow to the Rajasthan Royals, the franchise will miss the leadership of regular captain Sanju Samson in March 2025. While the Kerala batter might be seen as an impact player, Riyan Parag is set to captain the inaugural champions for the first three matches of the edition.
Samson, who incurred a right index finger injury during the recent white-ball series against England, felt discomfort during wicketkeeping. However, he didn’t incur any hiccups during batting and might feature as an impact player for the Royals in the first three games. As a result, Parag, who captained Assam cricket team in the Indian domestic circuit previously, will be taking charge of the side.
"I'm yet to be fully fit for the next three games. There are many leaders in this team. Over the last few years, there have been some great people who have taken care of this environment really nicely. For the next three games, Riyan will be leading the team. I expect everyone to support him and be with him," said Samson while addressing the team as per Royals’ social media handle.
Parag, who was backed by the franchise since 2019 finally repaid the faith after stellar performance in the last edition. He mustered 573 runs from 16 matches at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21.
Rajasthan will be playing their first game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 before squaring off against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in their second home Guwahati.