One of the teams that would be under pressure, right from the start of IPL 2026, would be RR. Not only they were way off mark in the last season, but this time around, they won’t have the presence of veteran Sanju Samson in the team. Sanju spent a good 11 years with the side, and led the team well too. And now Riyan Parag will have to make sure that no void is felt.
Sanju Samson = Virat Kohli?
Speaking to the media, Parag highlighted how important Sanju was for the team, and how this year they are trying to rectify the mistakes of the past. “Sanju’s game is unique; he cannot be compared to anyone else. It is like asking, ‘Who is Virat Kohli’s replacement?’–it simply isn’t possible.
“However, every player plays to win, and everyone possesses different capabilities. As you may have observed last season, we were losing matches in the final stages. Had we played with more freedom–or if we had managed to hit a boundary at a crucial moment, or conversely, prevented the opposition from doing so–we would have progressed further in the IPL. This time around, we are specifically addressing and rectifying those past mistakes.”
He also went on to speak about, how the focus at the IPL 2026 auction was, about getting a few all-rounders in the side. “During the auction, we inducted several all-rounders into the squad. Depending on match situations and during challenging moments, these players will be utilised strategically in accordance with various tactical plans.”
RR full squad IPL 2026
Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen.
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