'Under Sanju bhaiya ... ': Riyan Parag's special mention for Sanju Samson at toss vs SRH

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson share a strong bond from their time together at the franchise. Parag has often spoken about how much he learned from Samson during his stint with the Royals before the latter’s move to Chennai Super Kings last year. During the toss for the IPL 2026 clash between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Parag made a special mention of his former captain.

After winning the toss and opting to bowl, Parag said: "We will be bowling first. A new wicket for us, first time it has been used this season as well. So hopefully there is a little bit of stickiness at the start. We have chased down a lot of totals here. We fell short in 2024, so hopefully not the case this time. We have got two changes. Brijesh steps out, and Tushar Deshpande comes in. Hetty gets a rest, and Pretorius makes his debut."

Reflecting on his journey to captaincy, he added: "It has been a journey. I was under (Sanju Samson) Bhaiya for the longest time, and then Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara, the head coach and Director of Cricket) did really well in improving me with all the decisions and involved me in all the tactical and strategic meetings. Now I think I have taken the onus up. Had to make a lot of tough calls, but happy to be here."

Parag was appointed Rajasthan Royals captain ahead of IPL 2026 following Samson’s trade to Chennai Super Kings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan also confirmed two changes to his side.

"We have got two changes from the last game, (Praful) Hinge coming in (and veteran Jaydev Unadkat misses out, Harshal Patel is among the impact players)," Ishan said.

Speaking about leadership, he added: "I think I have been doing this for a long time. I was a leader in Under-19 India, I have been doing it for my state team, and I think it makes you more aware of the situation, more focused on the game. You look to do more for your team because it's never about individual performance; it is always about teamwork. So we have done it, and I think we are doing it in a very good manner. I think obviously it makes a difference when you are the captain of the team, and you have been doing well. It shows a lot of maturity, that a player has a certain amount of growth in him now. So it did help me a bit in the last few years when I've been a leader of my side and done well for the team. It made me come back to the Indian side. So what else can you ask for?."

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande.

Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga.

SRH Impact Subs: Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel.