Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin predicted a tough year for the Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, saying the young right-handed batter should look to take care of his own batting form. Earlier this year, Riyan was confirmed as the Royals captain for IPL 2026 despite the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel in the squad. Parag had also captained the Royals in Sanju Samson’s absence last year; however, he failed to rise to the occasion as the inaugural champions faltered to deceive.
Once Jadeja was traded to the Royals, one expected him to become the captain, considering he also took a pay cut. However, the franchise stuck with Parag as the skipper.
Parag, who has always been with the Royals in his IPL career, has been asked to lean on Jadeja for some advice during games. The head coach, Kumar Sangakkara, has also been advised by Ashwin to make things easier for Parag, the captain.
“Riyan Parag has captained Assam in domestic cricket. RR are a very systematic team; they would have interviewed him before making him the captain. I just hope they also put Yashasvi Jaiswal in the same pedigree and trust him to be the captain in the future. Somewhere in my head, I thought Ravindra Jadeja would be the captain. They could have made him the captain and chosen Riyan as the vice-captain,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Riyan is still young, but he has played a decade of IPL cricket. It is such a big thing. I think Riyan, the captain, would have his task cut out. It is not that easy. Many youngsters want the captaincy in the IPL. They compete for it, they try and go hard for it,” he added.
‘Challenging year’
Ashwin, who has played for the Royals in the past, said that the upcoming season would be much easier for Parag, the captain, if Jofra Archer and the rest of the bowling attack come to the party.
“Handling an entire season, handling the roller coaster of wins and losses, won’t be that easy. You have to discuss things with coaches. RR are a very systematic team. They hold many meetings there. He also has to look after his batting form,” said Ashwin.
“It will be a challenging year. If the bowlers deliver, it will make his job easier. It’s not like that Parag has to look towards Jaiswal and Jurel; he has Ravindra Jadeja to look to for some suggestions. Hopefully, Kumar Sangakkara and the rest of the backroom staff can make his job a lot easier,” he added.
The Rajasthan Royals will play their first IPL 2026 game on March 30 against the Chennai Super Kings. The franchise have already been dealt a body blow with Sam Curran being ruled out of the entire season.
