Rajasthan Royals' stand-in captain, Riyan Parag, received tremendous applause from fans in his home state of Assam as the franchise returned to Guwahati to play select home matches. Parag led the side against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, as both teams hunt for their first win of the 2025 Indian Premier League campaign.
As soon as Parag arrived for the pre-match chat during the toss against Knight Riders, the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause for its homegrown talent. Parag, too, addressed the home fans, stating that he feels “humbled” to lead the IPL side in front of them.
“Very proud, very humbled to be leading a franchise like this. I started when I was 17 years old. The management has shown faith in me, it's something I can't really put in words,” Parag said.
Parag was named the stand-in skipper for the Royals after Sanju Samson was forced to play only as a batter in the first three matches of the season. Samson is yet to be cleared completely fit, and has been advised not to undertake wicketkeeping duties. The Royals used Samson as their Impact Player in the first match and will follow the same against KKR. In Samson's absence behind the stumps, Dhruv Jurel is keeping the wickets for the side.
A tough start for Royals
Royals endured a difficult start to the season against the Sunrisers Hyderabad last week, conceding a mammoth score of 286/6 in 20 overs. Jofra Archer, who bowled the most expensive spell in IPL history against SRH, and fellow bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana were powerless in the face of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan’s relentless attack.
{{/usCountry}}Royals endured a difficult start to the season against the Sunrisers Hyderabad last week, conceding a mammoth score of 286/6 in 20 overs. Jofra Archer, who bowled the most expensive spell in IPL history against SRH, and fellow bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana were powerless in the face of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan’s relentless attack.
{{/usCountry}}Archer, in particular, conceded a staggering 76 runs from his overs at the Uppal, with no answers to the onslaught. The defeat left the bowling attack exposed, with little to no control over the match's flow.
The pressure also falls on Parag, whose leadership at times appeared uncertain, especially when it came to on-field decision-making. With his tactical decisions under scrutiny, Parag will be expected to step up and display sharper, more intuitive leadership against KKR on Wednesday night.