The Royals, who had Samson as their leader and talisman for the last few years, will have to look for a new face as captain in the upcoming season.
Riyan
Parag led them for a brief period last season, but his role isn't cemented yet, as there are several other contenders for the job. Dhruv Jurel can be a candidate for captaincy, while some have also tipped Yashasvi Jaiswal to take the role.
Jaiswal, a regular in the Indian team, has captaincy aspirations and can be the next-gen leader for them to drive the franchise forward. But former India player Robin Uthappa believes Jaiswal will still require a couple of years before the captaincy can be handed to him.
While speaking on Jio Hotstar, Uthappa opined that the Royals will either stick with Parag from last season, or they can appoint Ravindra Jadeja as captain, who returned to Royals after 15 years as a part of the Samson deal.
"The only question is leadership. My feeling is the captaincy will likely be between Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja, while Jaiswal might need to wait a bit longer," Uthappa said.
The former India player also pointed out RR's vast options of fast bowlers, who can be extremely successful at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
"The advantage Rajasthan Royals have is the fact that they have 10 fast bowlers, offering a lot of options. If they bowl in the right areas at SMS Stadium, Jaipur, they can be very successful. With spinners like Bishnoi and Jadeja, support from Shimron Hetmyer and Donovan Ferreira, and depth in the batting order with Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag, they now have a well-rounded team," he added.
The Royals, meanwhile, are still unsure if they will stay put in Jaipur for IPL 2026. Due to the RCA elections issues and BCCI Ultimatum, their future at the Pink City remains a question.
