Pressure, trolling, captaincy: Riyan Parag faces his biggest IPL yet

NEW DELHI: Riyan Parag is only 24. The Rajasthan Royals captain has played just a handful of games for India and still finds himself on the fringes of national selection. Yet, he remains one of the most trolled cricketers in the country, enduring relentless scrutiny every IPL season without respite.

“I was here when I was 17, so it means a lot to be in this position now. The journey has had many ups and downs, probably more downs than ups. I feel like I have seen everything a teenager can go through in cricket, and I have gone through it all. But I am really proud of myself for coming through it," Parag said at the pre-tournament press conference in Jaipur.




This season, the spotlight will be even harsher. Yes, he stepped in to lead Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025 when Sanju Samson was injured. But now, the responsibility is his in full measure. Parag has been handed the captaincy ahead of names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and the vastly experienced Ravindra Jadeja, a decision that has only amplified the noise around him.

"He has gone through a lot. As a parent, when you see people trolling your child on every social media platform, it is tough to deal with. But as a family, we have now become immune," Parag Das, Riyan’s father, told TimesofIndia.com from Guwahati.

Inside details of how Riyan got the captaincy

Riyan Parag’s promotion comes after the departure of Samson to CSK. Parag had led RR before. He did so last year when Samson missed eight matches due to injury. Out of those eight games, Royals won only two.

The numbers are not impressive, but like Samson, he has been part of the franchise’s long-term project. He also had to go through multiple interviews to convince the Director of Cricket and coach Kumar Sangakkara, and owner Manoj Badale.

TimesofIndia.com can confirm that the Rajasthan Royals management shortlisted four candidates after Samson decided to leave. The names were Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Riyan Parag. All four were interviewed, and after evaluating each of them, Sangakkara and Badale concluded that Parag was the right choice to lead the franchise.

"When we had to select a captain after Sanju decided to step down, it was important for us to explore all options. We had a shortlist of candidates and conducted a very rigorous interview process," Kumar Sangakkara said.

"We went through multiple rounds, and Riyan knows it was not easy. The questions were tough. It was not just one conversation, but two and then three. At the end of the day, Manoj and I sat down and reviewed all those discussions with each candidate. It became very clear that the right choice to lead Rajasthan Royals was Riyan, and we were extremely happy to make that decision.

"Most importantly, the entire franchise, everyone involved in the process, including the team and the coaches, fully understands and supports this decision. It was made because Riyan Parag is absolutely the right candidate to captain and lead Rajasthan Royals.”

Seeking inspiration from Hardik

On Monday in Guwahati, in front of his family and friends, he will walk out to lead Rajasthan Royals against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, with Sanju Samson in the opposition ranks. Samson, fresh off his heroics in India’s T20 World Cup triumph and currently the toast of the nation, is the very man Riyan replaced as captain, adding another layer of intrigue to an already high-stakes contest.

Riyan is not the first Indian cricketer to face such intense trolling. He has had people to look up to, and his father gave him the example of Hardik Pandya, who was booed across venues during IPL 2024 after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain.

"I gave him the example of Hardik. Back then, I felt really bad seeing Hardik face all the booing.

"We were coming out of the airport in Guwahati when I spoke to him about social media trolling. I told him that people are trolling you because they expect better from you. You are being trolled across the country. The kind of start you had, you have not quite lived up to it, and public opinion has changed. Let your bat do the talking, and the same people trolling you will start supporting you," Das recalled.

Since making his debut as a 17-year-old for Rajasthan Royals in 2019, he has had mixed returns. Batting in the lower middle order did not help. In IPL 2024, he was given a fixed role at No. 4, and the results followed. He has scored close to 1000 runs in the last two seasons (573 and 393).



That helped him earn an India call-up, but a chronic shoulder injury hampered his chances of featuring in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Now, he has another opportunity to get back into the mix, but he knows that strong performances for Rajasthan Royals will be key.

“As far as coming back is concerned, my first focus is to have a great IPL season collectively as a team. All I am trying to do this year is win the IPL. I believe we have a team that can do it, and that is my sole focus right now. Once that is done, I can think about personal goals, like making a comeback to the Indian team," he said.