Riyan Parag made history on Sunday, March 23 as the youngest captain in Rajasthan Royals IPL history. At just 23 years and 133 days old, he broke the record set by Steve Smith, who captained Royals in 2014 at 24 years and 347 days old . Parag’s appointment comes in the absence of the regular captain, Sanju Samson, who is recovering from an injury.
Riyan Parag joins elusive list
Parag joins an exclusive list of young leaders in the league, including Virat Kohli, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru at 22 years and 187 days in 2011. Other notable young captains include Steve Smith (Pune Warriors India at 22 years and 344 days in 2012), Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings at 23 years and 112 days in 2010), Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals at 23 years and 142 days in 2018), and Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans at 23 years and 209 days in 2022).
Riyan Parag’s performance for Rajasthan Royals
Parag, made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2019, and since then he has become an integral part of the team . This will be his first experience leading the team, starting with the first three matches of the IPL 2025 season.
Parag will captain the Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings on March 23, 26, and 30, respectively.
The all-rounder was shande the leadership on the back of a stellar 2024 season, where he scored 573 runs from 16 matches at an impressive strike rate of nearly 150 (149.3). This leadership role offers Parag the perfect opportunity to further demonstrate his skills.
