Recently in an interview, former Chennai Super Kings player Faf du Plessis claimed that Rajasthan Royals reminds him of Sanju Samson. Samson has now joined Faf's former team through the trade window, with Royals still trying to find a replacement. Last season, it was Riyan Parag who led the Rajasthan Royals in most of the matches. Samson played as a substitute batter due to his finger injury. In 2026, with Samson leaving the side, Riyan was named as the captain. And in his first interview, he declared his captain Sanju Samson, as irreplaceable. Riyan Parag addressed an RR event in Jaipur alongside head coach Kumara Sangakkara, where he compared Samson's impact with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Parag 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." However, Riyan is confident. Riyan reflected on their ninth-place finish in 2025 where, according to him, his team gave a good fight in five to six defeats. "In any 40-over game, there will be a few moments where you have to make right decisions and that's what I'll focus on - like who will bat where, or what to do at the toss - and if we do that well, then this year will be a good one." Riyan Parag adjusting Ravindra Jadeja on the side Through the trade window, Rajasthan Royals got back their old mate Ravindra Jadeja, who was part of the 2008 title-winning side for the Shane Warne-led side. Well, instead of fitting Jadeja where he was in 2008, he is trying to recalibrate according to the present-day plans. Riyan said, "... the main advantage of having someone like Jadeja is that he has played all the seasons, and that experience he brings will be very useful as we try to win those small moments. He is the most experienced IPL player in our squad now. Jadeja had a superb economy [rate] in Chennai all these years and Jaipur and Guwahati are wickets that are slow and sticky respectively. And we also have Bishnoi." He added, "The combination of Bishnoi and Jadeja makes us world-class, top class. I don't think better combinations are possible than having both of these spinners start for us. The two of them bowling together can help us win from any situation." Notably, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati. The fixture also adds intrigue as Sanju Samson is set to take on his former side for the first time since moving to CSK.