MUMBAI: Shortly after leading the Rajasthan Royals to the IPL-2026 playoffs with a crucial 30-run victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, Riyan Parag received strong backing from head coach Kumar Sangakkara. The win was a must-win for RR, and Parag's captaincy came under the spotlight.
Sangakkara defends Parag against social media criticism
"I think I've seen very few players who have been criticised, like Riyan has been criticised for about seven years now. Ever since I came to the franchise, there's always people who like Riyan, but there are a lot of people who didn't really like him, especially on social media. But that's the reality of the modern game. When we decided to offer Riyan the captaincy, he is the absolute right guy to lead this franchise. I have no doubt in my mind," Sangakkara said, defending his captain.
Parag's personal form and controversies
While Parag's leadership has been commendable, his personal performance has been underwhelming. He has scored only 272 runs in 12 matches at an average of 24.72 and a strike rate of 152.80. Additionally, he was involved in a vaping controversy for which the BCCI fined him. Despite these setbacks, Sangakkara praised Parag for leading RR "exceptionally well" and stressed that he has earned the respect of the entire squad.
"And having watched him, yes, he will grow. He will mature. He will understand himself a lot more. He will learn to understand his players a lot more. But even today, if you look at the calls he makes as captain, the confidence with which he does, he drags himself almost on one foot sometimes to come and play. There's a huge amount of positives. I think he's captained exceptionally well. He's led his team exceptionally well. And when he's in that dressing room, he's got the respect of all the players and the staff. That's all you can ask for. What happens in the next few years, I think it's a really interesting relationship we have to build with the franchise and Riy. And really help him develop as a captain, as a batter, as a person, and keep supporting him," Sangakkara added.
Parag: A misunderstood young man
The RR head coach described Parag as a much-misunderstood individual who is "love, soft and gentle and smart young man." He elaborated, "He's a very, very good young man. Sometimes what you see on the outside is not Riyan Parag. Riyan Parag is a lovely, soft, gentle, really determined, smart young man. And he's learned a lot and matured a lot over the last few years. And he'll continue on that journey. But I'm very, very proud of him."
Jofra Archer's IPL stay and Test absence
Sangakkara also addressed the decision regarding England pacer Jofra Archer, who continued playing in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals and missed the first Test against New Zealand. He clarified that the call was made "in collaboration with the England & Wales Cricket Board," keeping Archer's bowling workload in mind.
"I don't know with certainty, but I think it was a collaborative decision between the ECB and Jofra, then talking about his bowling loads, especially a Test match. It's very difficult to get your bowling loads up very soon when you're only bowling four overs a game. So, he needs time to get that done and I think that was why the ECB was gracious enough to let him stay and understand that he'll be fine once he gets his bowling loads up, once he leaves the IPL," Sangakkara explained.
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