Watch: Sanju Samson names Riyan Parag as Rajasthan Royals captain for first three matches of IPL 2025

Riyan Parag will lead Rajasthan Royals for first three matches of IPL 2025. (Photo: IPL)

IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals' regular captain Sanju Samson named Riyan Parag skipper for the first three games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The announcement comes after Sanju Samson's decision to play as a pure batter until he is declared fit for wicketkeeping duties. The official social media handle of Rajasthan Royals posted a video of Samson naming Parag as the captain in a team meeting.

“Update: Sanju will be playing our first three games as a batter, with Riyan stepping up to lead the boys in these matches!” the Royals wrote. Watch the video below...

Update: Sanju will be playing our first three games as a batter, with Riyan stepping up to lead the boys in these matches! pic.twitter.com/FyHTmBp1F5
Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 20, 2025

Parag will lead the Rajasthan franchise for the first time since beginning his IPL career with the side in 2019. He faced a lot of criticism in the early stage of his IPL career but redeemed himself last year finishing as one of the top batters in the league. The right-handed batter from Assam faced a lot of challenges for performance with the bat in the first five seasons.

Also Read - Why IPL 2024 was a season of two halves for Rajasthan Royals

What about Sanju Samson's injury?

Samson has joined the Royals camp earlier this week after undergoing surgery last month. A bouncer from Jofra Archer during the home T20I series against England injured his finger. The 30-year-old finished his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel is expected keep the wickets for the Royals in the first three games of the IPL 2025 season.

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Rajasthan Royals won the IPL trophy in the inaugural season of the tournament in 2008 and will kick off their new campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 23 in Hyderabad. Last year, after winning eight of their first nine games, RR went on to lose four straight matches. With 17 points, RR ended third in the team rankings, and their final league game was rained out.