GUWAHATI: Rajasthan Royals have confirmed that Riyan Parag will be the captain for the first three games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. This is the first time that Parag will captain the franchise after joining in 2019. He will lead the team in the first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23, then home matches against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and Chennai Super Kings on March 30 in Guwahati.
The 2025 edition of the IPL will commence on March 22, and the first match will witness Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The leadership change comes as existing captain Sanju Samson has chosen to hold back his comeback to captaincy until he gets a complete recovery from an injury. While being cleared to bat, Samson is not fully ready for wicketkeeping tasks.
The Rajasthan Royals announced the captaincy change through their official social media platforms, posting a video of Samson revealing Parag as captain in a team meeting. Samson will serve as a batter in the first games before resuming his captaincy when he gets back to full fitness.
Parag, who had been criticized in the past for his performances, came back strong last season with 573 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of almost 150. His domestic captaincy experience for Assam and understanding of the Royals' dynamics make him a strong contender for this captaincy role as the team seeks to achieve great things in the next season.
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