IPL 2025: Why is Riyan Parag not captaining captain against PBKS?

Riyan Parag was replaced by Sanju Samson as the captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR) for their game against PBKS in the IPL 2025. While Parag led the inaugural champions in their first three matches, Samson returned to the side as the full-time skipper for the season. The wicketkeeper batter walked out to the toss instead of Parag, who led RR against SRH, KKR, and CSK respectively.

Before the start of the season, the WK batter picked up an injury, which wasn't ideal. There were concerns about his participation in the first few matches of the IPL 2025 due to match fitness. However, RR took a calculative approach and were able to get contributions from Samson. They named Parag as the skipper and allowed Sanju to play as a pure batter.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Why is Tushar Deshpande not playing in PBKS vs RR Match 18?

BCCI's Centre of Excellence was due to hand Samson a clearance to keep wickets. As per the reports, the star player was not allowed to don gloves till he recovered from his injury. As the RR star completed his recovery, he returned to the side as the skipper. In the first three matches, the Indian WK batter played as a pure batter.

Riyan Parag's mixed bag as an RR Captain in the IPL 2025

RR used Samson as an impact substitute, allowing an extra bowler to take the field during his absence. In the first three matches, RR suffered a huge of huge losses and won a thriller against CSK. Riyan's captaincy was a roller coaster of a journey, as it was received with mixed opinions.

Some of his decisions, like not giving enough overs to Tushar Deshpande against KKR, were criticized. Other decisions like bowling Sandeep Sharma in the last over of the match against CSK over Jofra Archer was praised as a bold and intelligent move.

Rahul Dravid, however, praised Parag's captaincy, claiming he had done a good job in the early stages of his captaincy role. The RR Head Coach felt Parag did a fine job by adapting well to the new role. Dravid felt it was good to expose Riyan to the new role, allowing him to gain experience in leadership.