The post-Sanju Samson era at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) is most likely to begin from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction onwards. The current RR captain has been heavily linked with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a trade deal, where Ravindra Jadeja and another CSK player would join RR. However, Samson’s absence won’t just leave a gaping hole in their batting unit but that will also mean that Rajasthan would need another captain.
Samson, who has been part of 11 seasons at RR, guided the franchise to its first IPL final after 14 years. Rajasthan looked a terrific team at IPL 2020, where they lost the summit clash to the Gujarat Titans (GT). Now, with Samson leaving, RR are looking at a homegrown talent to lead the side. While Jadeja will join, he won’t be a leader in any capacity, nor will RR look for a captain at the mini auction, likely to be held on December 15.
Instead, Rajasthan have three options on their plate. First is Riyan Parag. The Assamese cricketer has been backed tremendously by RR and even led the franchise when Samson was out injured last season. Parag led 8 times but tasted success only twice. While he remains an integral part of the team, according to the Times of India, he isn’t part of the captaincy race.
Dhruv Jurel to be new RR captain?
However, the player most likely to become the new RR captain is Dhruv Jurel. He was unearthed by the RR management and Jurel instantly became a fan favourite before getting drafted to the international setup. He earned Rs 20 lakh but RR showed a tremendous amount of faith in him by retaining the Indian keeper for a whopping Rs 14 crore. While many fans questioned the decision to retain him for such a high price, Jurel paid dividends, scoring 333 runs at a SR of 156.34.
What’s more fascinating is that Jurel has been on a bullish run this year, scoring runs everywhere he is playing. Jurel’s home‑season scores so far read 140, 1 & 56, 125, 44 & 6, 132, and 127 not out. Across his last eight first‑class innings he has three hundreds (including a Test century), one half‑century and a 40‑plus knock, raising his stocks further.
Also, Jurel has some experience of leading a side, unlike Jaiswal. Jurel was the vice-captain of India’s Under-19 team at the 2020 World Cup, where India ended up as a runner-up. Jurel also captains his UP T20 league franchise, the Gorakhpur Lions, while he was made India A’s vice-captain and Central Zone’s captain earlier this year.
RR at IPL: What about Yashasvi Jaiswal?
Meanwhile, another name that is being discussed is Yashasvi Jaiswal, the highly talented India opener. Ever since his debut in 2020, Jaiswal has racked up 2166 runs at an incredible average and strike rate of 34.38 and 152.85. Although he doesn’t have much leadership experience at professional level, Jaiswal has a temperament that belies his age.
Also, the TOI report also stated that Kumar Sangakkara, the new head coach of RR, told both Jaiswal and Jurel to be ready for any leadership duties during the time they two were in England. Both Jurel and Jaiswal were part of India’s Test team that travelled to England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. One reason why Jaiswal is below Jurel as far as the captaincy race is concerned is due to the ‘Impact Player’ rule. Being a specialist opener, Jaiswal can be substituted for a bowler if a sitatuin arises. Whereas Jurel, being the wicket-keeper can’t be substituted!
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