Riyan Parag has shared his views on Sanju Samson leaving Rajasthan Royals ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The wicketkeeper-batsman will be plying his trade for Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming season.
Last month, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings struck a trade deal that saw Sanju Samson heading to the Chennai-based outfit in exchange for allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. The trade deal brought an end to Samson’s long-term association with the inaugural IPL winners.
Sanju Samson joins CSK. Image Credit: XSamson played 11 seasons at Rajasthan Royals. He made his IPL debut in 2013 with the Royals and played for them till 2015 before they were suspended for two years. Samson re-joined the team in 2018 after their return. He was with the same franchise since then. Samson was also leading the Royals since 2021.
Riyan Parag on Sanju Samson’s departure:
Samson was an ever-present figure in the Royals dressing room ever since Riyan Parag signed up for the franchise. Riyan Parag made his IPL debut for the Royals in 2019 and shared the dressing room with Samson since then.
Unsurprisingly, the Assam star said that he did not want to think about Samson’s departure as it would make him feel bad. Parag opened up about Samson’s contribution in his career and also said that he was very close to the former Royals captain.
“Sanju bhai has played a huge role in my career. I don’t want to think about him leaving because if I do, I’ll feel bad – I was very close to him and when I first joined the team, he never made me feel like I was just a 17-18-year old kid from Assam.
“Perhaps that was also because he had a similar background and had also come from Kerala as a young player of 16-18 years old, a place from where not many cricketers emerge – He has taught me a lot and given me a lot of love,” added Riyan Parag.
Image Credits: GettyWith Samson gone, the Royals will be announcing a new captain ahead of IPL 2026. According to reports, Parag is one of the front-runners to take the captaincy. Parag has emerged as one of Royals most important players in recent seasons and could be given the task of leading the team.