Ex-CSK batter accuses Rajasthan Royals of ignoring 'future of Indian cricket' by making Riyan Parag captain

UPDATED: Feb 15, 2026 04:46 PM IST

Rajasthan Royals' Riyan Parag reacts after getting clean bowled as Chennai Super Kings' captain MS Dhoni walks past him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 20, 2025.

Story Highlights:

Subramaniam Badrinath wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to be Rajasthan Royals' captain.

Badrinath wonders whether Ravindra Jadeja was asked about captaincy role.

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Subramaniam Badrinath has questioned the appointment of Riyan Parag as captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Badrinath feels that opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is a better candidate for the captaincy role considering the amount of international cricket he plays. He also took a dig at RR management and wondered whether there was discussion with Ravindra Jadeja about the leadership role.

"Yashasvi Jaiswal has represented India so much and is the future of Indian cricket. He is already playing Test and ODI cricket. So, to not back him and go with Riyan Parag is definitely wrong. Probably, Yashasvi Jaiswal doesn't have any relative who is an owner of RR (sarcasm). I also wonder if RR enticed Jadeja from CSK with captaincy discussions, but later it didn't materialise," said Badrinath on his YouTube channel.

ALSO READ: Rising Stars Women's Asia Cup: India romp over Pakistan with 8-wicket win as bowlers & half-centurion Vrinda dominate

24-year-old Parag captained RR in the previous edition in injured Sanju Samson’s absence. From eight games, he led RR to victory in just two games.

“Rajasthan Royals has been my home in the IPL since day one. This franchise has backed me, developed me, and pushed me to grow every season. To now lead this team is incredibly special, and it’s a responsibility I fully embrace. I’m excited to work alongside our coaches and leadership group to play fearless, smart cricket and make our fans proud,” he said in an official statement posted by RR.

ALSO READ: Mohammad Hafeez claims Pakistan have psychological victory over India based on Usman Tariq hype

Royals’ other captaincy candidates

Apart from Parag, the other captaincy candidates in the square were wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, all-rounder Sam Curran who led Desert Vipers to maiden ILT20 win.

Parag’s IPL numbers

The Guwahati-born batting all-rounder made his debut for RR in the 2019 edition. However, his best came in the 2024 edition where he scored 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and strike rate of 149.21. It earned him a place in the T20I side.

So far, he has played 84 games for RR. From 72 innings, he has scored 1,566 runs at an average of 26.10, including seven half-centuries.