Former India pacer Sreesanth has expressed his views on 23-year-old Riyan Parag‘s appointment as Rajasthan Royals‘ stand-in captain for the first three IPL 2025 matches, with regular skipper Sanju Samson still recovering from a finger injury. Parag earned the role after his standout performance in IPL 2024, where he scored 573 runs at an average of 52.09, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer. Speaking as a JioStar expert, Sreesanth acknowledged Parag’s growth and leadership experience at the domestic level.
“I haven’t seen much of him personally, but I recall him leading his state side in a match against Kerala, and he performed quite well. He’s been putting up strong performances consistently in first-class cricket too. I would love to see him shine, and even though Sanju isn’t playing, I’m confident he’ll still be there offering support,” said Sreesanth.
“They have a solid team, and that unit will help him. I don’t think there’s much difference just because Riyan Parag leads. He has a strong mindset. If you look at last year, he was one of the highest run-scorers, and he did that consistently,” Sreesanth shared with India Today.
Parag’s path to leadership has been defined by resilience. After struggling for four seasons in the IPL, facing criticism and doubts, he turned things around in 2024 with a breakthrough season and earned his first call-up to the India squad for the Zimbabwe tour.
“After being on the verge of being dropped, he made an impressive comeback, scoring 500 runs. He’ll be looking forward to building on that. His captaincy is a result of his performance, and this is a great message for all the young players watching the league. It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you come from; your performance and consistency matter.”
“No matter how big the setbacks, if you can bounce back and prove yourself, that’s what counts. Riyan Parag did that, and now he’s the captain of an IPL team. Best of luck to him,” he added.
Rajasthan Royals will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign on March 23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.