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Rajasthan Royals have reportedly zeroed in on two young stars as potential captaincy candidates should Sanju Samson leave before IPL 2026.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (left) and Dhruv Jurel (PTI Photo)
Rajasthan Royals have reportedly started gearing up for life without Sanju Samson, identifying two captaincy candidates ahead of the next IPL season. Samson has been strongly linked with a move to Chennai Super Kings that could see all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja move to RR.
Under Samson’s captaincy, RR reached the IPL 2022 final.
Interestingly, Riyan Parag, who was the stand-in captain whenever Samson was unavailable during IPL 2025, has fallen behind in the race with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel now the top contenders.
According to a report in timesofindia.com, both Jaiswal and Jurel were told to be prepared for captaincy by RR’s new head coach Kumar Sangakkara during India’s England tour earlier this year.
The publication further reported that Jurel has a stronger claim to the leadership role given his skills. While Jaiswal is a top-order batter, Jurel has shown his wares as a dependable finisher besides being a quality wicketkeeper who can control the game from behind the stumps.
Additionally, Jurel as captain lends flexibility to the team as Jaiswal can be swapped for a bowler thanks to the Impact Player rule.
RR To Shift Base?
RR are also keen on shifting their base from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur to Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
The franchise has been at loggerheads with the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA). Earlier this year, RCA had alleged RR of match-fixing, following which the former IPL champions had shot a letter to BCCI for “defamatory content”.
Samson Saga Rages On
Samson is expected to join CSK after formally telling the franchise to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Samson reportedly had a falling out with the RR team management after they released Jos Buttler. RR have undergone major changes after a disappointing IPL 2025 with the departure of head coach Rahul Dravid and also parting ways with CEO Jake Lush McCrum.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
November 10, 2025, 14:43 IST
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