[By Ajay Motiwala Sports Correspondent Mumbai Samachar Desk]
Mumbai: After winning the inaugural 2008 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Rajasthan Royals have never managed to become champions again. This season too, after a strong start, the team gradually slipped down the standings. Recently, the franchise got new owners — the Mittal business group — and the “direct impact” of that change was reportedly visible on Saturday in Jaipur, where in the very first match under the new ownership, “injured” captain Riyan Parag appeared to have been effectively “shown the door.”
In this IPL season, apart from Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Ishan Kishan, almost all Indian captains have struggled to perform well, and Riyan Parag is no exception. In Saturday’s crucial league match against the Gujarat Titans in Jaipur, captaincy of the Rajasthan side was handed to Yashasvi Jaiswal. The official reason given was that Parag had suffered a leg injury during the May 1 match against Delhi and therefore did not play on Saturday. However, there is widespread discussion in Indian cricket circles that Parag was benched not only because of his poor batting performances, but also because the new owners are eager to push Rajasthan into the top two positions in the points table.
Prominent industrialist Lakshmi N. Mittal, his son Aditya Mittal, and Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, have jointly acquired the Rajasthan Royals franchise for an estimated ₹15,660 crore. The franchise was previously owned mainly by Manoj Badale and associates. Lakshmi Mittal reportedly met Rajasthan players before Saturday’s match and held lengthy discussions with captain Riyan Parag and his deputy Yashasvi Jaiswal. After those talks, many were surprised to see Yashasvi walk out for the toss as captain instead of Parag, sparking speculation that major structural changes could soon take place within the team.
Naturally, owners who spend a massive ₹15,660 crore to acquire a franchise would expect every player to perform to the best of their ability — and that expectation would certainly apply to the captain as well.
Parag, who had already been criticized in earlier matches for not using lead spinner Ravindra Jadeja effectively, has had a very disappointing IPL season overall. Apart from the 90 runs he scored against Delhi on May 1, his performances throughout the tournament have been underwhelming. His scores in 10 matches are: 14 not out, 8, 20, 3, 4, 12, 20, 7, 29, and 90.
There is also discussion that Parag’s good relationship with the franchise’s previous owners may have helped him secure Rajasthan’s captaincy this season despite earlier disappointing performances, and may also explain why he managed to retain his place in the team as both captain and player despite repeated failures. Rajasthan’s position in the 2026 season initially looked strong thanks to a string of victories, but the team is now in danger of having to fight hard just to secure a playoff spot.