Rajasthan Royals began their IPL 2026 campaign with a commanding victory, making a strong statement by outplaying five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati. The match also marked the official start of Riyan Parag’s tenure as RR’s full-time captain as his team won the match by 8 wickets with 7.5 overs to spare. Previously, Parag had only stepped in as stand-in skipper whenever Sanju Samson was unavailable. This time, however, he was appointed the permanent leader, taking charge of the team’s strategy and planning ahead of the tournament. Parag’s leadership was evident in the way the Royals executed their game plan, with smart decisions and aggressive tactics that set the tone for the season, signalling a new era for the franchise under his guidance.
Parag opened up on handling the pressures and opinions beyond the field, explaining how he has learned to stay focused on his game despite outside chatter, a mindset he has carried into the current season.
“I think if I start talking about the journey, it’s going to be a long answer. But like I said earlier, it’s a lot of things that go outside my game, a lot of opinions about me off the field, which is something I’ve learned not to let affect me. I think I’m doing that pretty well, and the same has happened this year as well," Parag said in the post-match presentation.
The Rajasthan Royals skipper reflected on the fine margins of captaincy in cricket, highlighting how outcomes often shape perception. He explained the decisions he made during the match, including his reasoning for not giving Ravi Bishnoi another over, and how he reviewed them afterwards with his analyst to assess what could have been done differently.
“It’s the irony with cricket. If I had done the same things today and they had scored 200 and we had lost the game, the narrative would have been that I’m a bad captain or that I made bad decisions. That’s why, even after the game ended, I went to the dressing room and spoke with my analyst about what I could have done better. He had a point that I could have given Bishnoi another over, and I explained my reasoning, why I didn’t bring him on, because Overton was batting and he might have hit him for a couple of sixes or whatever," he added.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s the irony with cricket. If I had done the same things today and they had scored 200 and we had lost the game, the narrative would have been that I’m a bad captain or that I made bad decisions. That’s why, even after the game ended, I went to the dressing room and spoke with my analyst about what I could have done better. He had a point that I could have given Bishnoi another over, and I explained my reasoning, why I didn’t bring him on, because Overton was batting and he might have hit him for a couple of sixes or whatever," he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Captaincy is very result-oriented”
He further emphasised the result-driven nature of cricket, stressing that while victories make decisions look right, the same scrutiny should apply in defeat to ensure fair and balanced analysis.
“So I think it’s very result-based, result-oriented. If we end up on the winning side, everything looks better. But I feel if you’re saying this now, I expect you to say the same when we lose a game and analyse it properly.”