India, Feb. 13 -- It's official. Riyan Parag on Friday was named as the Rajasthan Royals captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The head coach, Kumar Sangakkara, and the rest of the management had plenty of options, namely Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sam Curran, but Parag got the nod ahead of the trio. The 24-year-old had also led the franchise last season when Sanju Samson was not available due to injury.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, the inaugural champions traded Samson to the Chennai Super Kings, bringing Jadeja and Curran on board. This led to speculation that Jadeja might be given the top leadership role, considering he also took a pay cut to join the Royals. However, it's not the case, as Par...