Newly appointed Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag reflected on his journey with the team, expressing pride in rising from a fresh-faced teenager to captain of the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026.
"I was here when I was 17. It means a lot that I'm here in this position right now. The journey had a lot of ups and downs, maybe more downs than ups, but I'm proud I came through it,” he said at a press conference on Thursday in Jaipur.
Looking back on his time with the Royals, Parag added, “I'm really thankful to Rajasthan for backing me, understanding the cricketer I was, and giving me opportunities. To now be in a position to lead the side feels surreal. From 2018 to now, it's been a journey I'm extremely proud of."
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After making his IPL debut with the Royals in 2019, Riyan Parag has gone on to score 1566 runs in 84 matches at a strike rate of 141.85. He has scored seven fifties in his IPL career with best score of 95 against the Kolkata Knight Riders coming last season.
Riyan Parag enjoyed his standout IPL season in 2024, amassing 573 runs at a strike rate of 149.22.
He followed it up with another solid campaign, finishing as the Royals’ second-highest run-scorer with 393 runs at an impressive strike rate of 166.53, underlining his growing consistency ahead of stepping into a new leadership role in the upcoming season.
"For me, leading this franchise with so many years, connections, and emotions. It is very special. My sole focus right now is to try and win the IPL. I'm not thinking about individual milestones. It's about what's best for the team and achieving success together," he said.
Looking ahead, Riyan Parag emphasised the need for sharper finishing, admitting the side fell short at crucial moments on several occasions in the previous campaign.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn't do in the previous edition. I feel we have to plan well. Last year, there were about five-six games that we lost in the last over or even on the last ball,” Parag said.
"Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better or even hit one more four or six, this question would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for the playoffs) by winning those matches. I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game,” he added.
Head coach Kumar Sangakkara, who joined Parag at the press conference, backed Parag to shine in his leadership role.
"Riyan has seen a lot, gone through a lot. The most striking thing for me was how reflective and mature he's become. Riyan Parag, the cricketer, I have always admired,” Sangakkara said.
"We had a short list of candidates and a very strict interview process. The questions were hard and involved two or three conversations. At the end, it became very apparent that the right person to lead Royals was Riyan,” he added.
The RR head coach also stressed that player well-being and enjoyment of the game will continue to remain central to the Royals' philosophy.
"It is important is that the players enjoy the journey. You can't just focus on results: players will have ups and downs, and that doesn't define them. We want the group to enjoy playing together, take it one game at a time, and trust that results will follow."
Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2026 season against the Chennai Super Kings at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.
The Royals first three matches of the season will be played in Guwahati, while their fixtures at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur will be announced at a later date.
