Leg and Off: Who should captain Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 after Sanju Samson's exit?

Rajasthan Royals (RR) officially let go of Sanju Samson, trading him out to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.

Following Samson's exit, the Rajasthan Royals will now have to appoint a new captain for the IPL 2026 season. He was their most successful captain in terms of matches won. Samson took over as skipper of the franchise in the 2021 season. He led them in 67 matches, winning 33 with a win percentage of 50.75%. They also played the IPL 2022 final under his leadership.

Rajasthan Royals retained the likes of Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel, who are all potential options to lead the side, along with Jadeja in the mix as well.

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The captaincy options that the Rajasthan Royals have

While Sanju Samson missed a considerable number of games due to injury last season, Riyan Parag led the Rajasthan Royals. Riyan captained in eight matches. He did not have a great record, as they won just two games and lost six. As he was given the captaincy, the Rajasthan Royals clearly had him in mind as the backup leader in Samson's absence.

That said, he could be given a run in the 2026 season as well. Having captained last year, Riyan Parag will bring in some experience. Knowing where he went wrong, he could improve on those areas and come out as a better leader.

They could also look at Ravindra Jadeja as an option. Jadeja has been around the IPL for a very long time and brings in immense experience as a senior pro. He even led CSK for a few games in 2022 but was sacked as skipper midway through the season due to poor results. An advantage of making Jadeja the skipper could be that youngsters could play more freely without the pressure of captaincy.

Another option that the Rajasthan Royals could explore is that of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal joined the Royals in 2020 and has been with the team ever since. Having spent multiple seasons, he is now a senior member of the setup. While it might seem the right choice to give him captaincy at this stage of his career, where he could be a long-term bet, he does not bring any previous leadership experience to the table.

Finally, Dhurv Jurel is someone the Royals might also look at. Notably, Jurel was the vice-captain of India's U-19 World Cup team in 2020. He was also named captain of the Central Zone for the Duleep Trophy 2025-26. That said, captaining an IPL side would be a completely different ball game altogether.

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Conclusion

At the moment, Ravindra Jadeja would appear to many as the frontrunner to become captain of the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026, given his seniority and experience.

However, considering Riyan Parag led the side in Samson's absence last year, it would only be fair for the management to allow him to better his mistakes from the previous season and groom him as a future leader. The Royals should show the faith that they showed in him once again this time around when it comes to leadership.

With a senior like Jadeja in the team and a legend like Kumar Sangakkara in the staff, it would be the right opportunity for Riyan to grow and develop himself as a long-term leader for the years to come.