Former Indian cricketers Robin Uthappa and Anil Kumble opined on who could be the next captain for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026 following the departure of Sanju Samson. After spending years with the franchise, the Kerala keeper-batter was traded to CSK for Rs 18 crore, which means RR will have to find a new captain for the next season. RR have multiple candidates who could fill in Samson’s shoes – Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Who will be RR’s captain in IPL 2026?
Speaking on JioHotstar, Uthappa reckoned that Jaiswal would have to wait for longer to be handed over the role of RR captain. He opined that the battle for captaincy will be between Parag and Jadeja while Jaiswal isn’t a potential contender. It is pertinent to point out that Parag had captained RR for majority of the games in IPL 2025 during Sanju’s absence due to injury.
“The only question is leadership. My feeling is the captaincy will likely be between Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja, while Jaiswal might need to wait a bit longer,” Uthappa said.
Kumble seemed to echo Uthappa’s sentiments in the matter, noting that Jurel was the closest match to Samson as his successor. He said that it was imperative for the RR management to identify the next captain and communicate it to the rest of the team effectively before IPL 2026. While Parag has led Assam in domestic tournaments apart from captaining RR in IPL, Jurel and Jadeja have very little to boast about in terms of captaincy. And Jaiswal has even lesser, as he has never led a side before – either in domestic circuit or in the iPL.
“If you want to replicate the kind of personality Sanju Samson brought to Rajasthan Royals, Dhruv Jurel is probably the closest match. Beyond that, the squad is strong, with talented youngsters, proven players, and all-rounders. Fitness of key players like Jofra Archer at the start of IPL is also crucial. Ultimately, the management needs to identify and communicate who the captain will be,” Kumble said.
