The captain of the Rajasthan Royals, Riyan Parag, stated on Thursday that the vacuum left by Sanju Samson’s departure to the Chennai Super Kings cannot be filled since it is equally tough to find a substitute for the T20 World Cup hero as it is to replace Indian team mainstays like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
In a pre-season trade, Sanju, who captained the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja.
“If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is,” PTI quoted Parag telling reporters in a pre-season press conference in Jaipur.
“We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skill-set or have someone bat in his position…It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma… In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said, referring to the two stalwarts who play only the ODI format now.
Sanju was RR’s most successful captain and highest run scorer, having led the team to the IPL 2022 final and the 2024 playoffs during his 11-year tenure.
After a brilliant T20 World Cup campaign in which he delivered three consecutive game-changing knocks to lead India to a historic championship defence, his status has grown manifold. He was adjudged player of the tournament for the phenomenal performance.
The previous season was forgettable for the Rajasthan Royals, who finished ninth in the 10-team rankings after suffering ten losses.
After Sanju’s departure, Parag was chosen as captain. He stated that RR lost way too many tight games the previous season and that the 2008 champions need to improve their strategy and planning.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition. We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches,” he explained.
“I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different,” Parag added.
He also thanked the franchise for believing in him through a number of difficult seasons.
“I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag said.
Kumar Sangakkara, the head coach and director of cricket for the Royals, stated that he has always “admired” Parag as a cricketer and that he was chosen as captain following a rigorous interview process.
“It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He’s right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot,” Sangakkara said.
“The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.
