Riyan Parag, on Thursday, addressed the void left by Sanju Samson at Rajasthan Royals, admitting that replacing a player of his calibre is no easy task. Drawing a bold comparison with stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the new RR captain underlined the scale of the challenge ahead, while also outlining the team’s plans to rebuild and move forward after Samson’s departure ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League.
Samson was the face of the Rajasthan franchise for more than a decade, having represented the side across 11 seasons, and also served as the IPL captain for five straight seasons, between 2021 and 2025. However, ahead of the auction last December, he was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a high-profile move where the Royals earned Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange.
Speaking at the pre-season press conference, Parag labelled Samson as irreplaceable and outlined how the Royals would look to rebuild in the absence of the Indian star by focussing on better planning and finishing games this season.
“We never thought of replacing him (Sanju Samson). Can you replace Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? No. In the same manner, Sanju bhaiya is irreplaceable. We can try someone with a similar skill set or ask someone to bat in his position, but he cannot be replaced. This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition,” he said.
Parag also dropped a mention Jadeja’s return to the franchise. The India all-rounder was part of the Royals in 2008 and 2009.
He added, “We possess an excellent combination of both spin and fast bowlers. Similarly, in our batting lineup, we have ensured a good balance between right-handed and left-handed batsmen. We have high expectations from Ravindra Jadeja; he is a magnificent all-rounder.”
Rajasthan Royals will open their campaign against Chennai Super Kings on March 30 in Guwahati, implying that both Samson and Jadeja will be up against their respective former franchises.
