Like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson can’t be replaced, says Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag has appointed new Rajasthan Royals captain for upcoming IPL 2026 season in place of Sanju Samson, who has moved to Chennai Super Kings.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said Sanju Samson’s void cannot be filled in his side, likening the challenge to replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal.

“If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is,” Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference in Jaipur. “We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skillset or have someone bat in his position…

“It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma… In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said.

VIDEO | Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag, speaking at the IPL 2026 pre-season press conference, says Sanju Samson is irreplaceable and stresses the team’s focus on better planning and finishing games this season.
He says, “We never thought of replacing him (Sanju Samson).… pic.twitter.com/n9HuGqJ0DH
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 19, 2026

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Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was RR’s most successful captain and leading run-scorer, having guided them to the IPL 2022 final and the playoffs in 2024. His stature has only grown manifold following a stellar T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, where he struck three successive match-defining half-centuries to power India to a historic treble and title defence.

India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final with Sanju being adjudged the ‘Player-of-the-Tournament’. Rajasthan Royals had a forgettable last season, enduring 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10=team standings.

Parag, who has been picked as the captain following Sanju’s exit, said RR lost far too many close matches last year and the 2008 winners need better strategy and planning. “This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition,” he said.

“We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches,” he said.

“I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different,” Parag added.

Head coach Kumar Sangakkara backs Riyan Parag, the skipper

The Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he has always ‘admired’ Parag as a cricketer and he was picked as a skipper after a robust round of interviews with other candidates. “It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He’s right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot,” Sangakkara said.

“The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become. To select a captain once Sanju decided to leave, it was very important that we explore all options. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.

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The Times Of Bengal