Why Is Samson Handing Over Captaincy Reins to Parag; What Will Happen After First Three Games?

Riyan Parag will be leading Rajasthan Royals for the first three games of the upcoming Indian Premier League season. Regular RR skipper Sanju Samson is still recovering from a thumb injury and will only play as a batter and most likely will come to bat as an Impact Player. (More Cricket News)

"Rajasthan Royals have announced that Riyan Parag will lead the team for the first three matches of IPL 2025," RR announced in a statement on Thursday.

"The young all-rounder will take charge in the opening fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23, followed by home encounters against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 30," the franchise stated.

With his elevation to captaincy, Parag will become one of the youngest IPL captains at just 23 years of age. Virat Kohli currently holds the record of being the youngest captain in the league when he captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru as a 22-year-old.

"Rajasthan Royals' decision to hand Riyan the captaincy underscores the franchise's confidence in his leadership, a skill he has demonstrated through his tenure as Assam's domestic captain.

"Having been a crucial member of the Royals setup over the years, his understanding of the team's dynamic makes him well-equipped to step into this role for the initial phase of the tournament," the team said.

A PTI report stated that the medical and sports science teams at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru have told Samson to give his fingers some more rest before he starts keeping wickets. Therefore, Samson will only feature in the first three games as a batter and will be used as an Impact Substitute.

Dhruv Jurel will most likely take up the gloves in the absence of Samson.

IPL 2025 begins Saturday, March 22 and RR open their campaign the next day with an afternoon game against last year's runner-up Sunrisers Hyderabad.