Riyan Parag calls Samson “irreplaceable”
Riyan Parag is all set to lead Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026 after Sanju Samson left the franchise to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK). After being associated with the franchise since 2019, Parag is ready for the new challenges that instantly place him in an elite list of RR captains like Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, and Sanju Samson.
Speaking of Samson, Parag called the former RR captain irreplaceable and compared him with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He said, “We can only try to look for players with the same skills [like Samson] and someone who can fill the hole left by him in the batting order. Just like you cannot replace Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in any XI, Samson is irreplaceable.”
He further added, “But will we plan something new? That’s what we’ve been discussing in the build-up. If you see last season, we lost five or six close games, in fact, a couple of games were last-ball defeats. This season, if those few games go in our favour, then we won’t be asked about our issues any longer.”
Sam Curran to miss the start of IPL
England all-rounder Sam Curran is set to miss the start of their IPL 2026 campaign following a suspected groin issue. This comes as a blow for the Rajasthan Royals. Curran has previously featured for Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings in IPL.
There is no confirmation from the franchise yet about the replacement. But they are expected to have explored a few options. Rajasthan Royals have another all-rounder in Donovan Ferreira, a power-hitter with the ability to deliver offspin. Ferreira was also bought by RR via a trade at his base price of INR 1 crore from Delhi Capitals.
Lockie Ferguson set to miss the early phase of IPL 2026
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is set to miss the early stages of IPL 2026 for Punjab Kings. Ferguson will join in the latter half of the tournament, as mentioned by him in Auckland ahead of the third T20I against South Africa.
“Just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out.” Ferguson added, “I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter.”
