Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed Rajasthan Royals over their decision to appoint Riyan Parag as the full-time captain of the team for IPL 2026. Manjrekar feels Parag’s unbelievable self-confidence is his biggest trait, adding that the franchise has made him a star despite the player barely delivering for them over the years. Parag, who has been part of RR since 2019, was at the center of a huge controversy last week after he was caught vaping in the dressing room during the match against Punjab Kings.
“He is not one of your typical Indian players. He’s fit and just the way he walks around and everything struts around. But I would say, after the kind of I’ve seen over the years. It is something that I find a little strange that the Rajasthan Royals have backed him so much,” Manjrekar said on performances. Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
Manjrekar suggested that Parag’s elevation as captain of RR does not make any sense, adding that the player is extremely lucky to receive such a huge reward despite his mediocre returns with the bat.
“I mean, Sanju Samson captained them for a few years, and then he was removed, and Riyan Parag took over. I don’t know what happened there. But I don’t think from a cricketing point of view, it makes any sense at all. It’s a bit harsh to say this, but he’s just got too much as a reward. Having not really worked hard for those rewards. So it’s a very interesting case pertaining to the Rajasthan Royals,” he added.
Manjrekar was also quick to highlight that Parag’s overconfidence is both his biggest strength and his biggest weakness.
“What catches the eye about Riyan Parag is his unbelievable self-confidence. Even when he was not delivering, if you saw him in the field, the kind of stuff that he did. It was just almost arrogance for somebody who was struggling to, you know, fit in or deliver. So he tells me about someone who has this confidence, and it seems genuine. It doesn’t seem to be a put-on,” said Manjrekar.
“So when I see his overall career as well. You would seem he would have played numerous innings of 14 or 15 runs, where he would come in and hit a couple of cracking shots, and you would be blown away. And then the next body’s playing the same shot and getting out. That is his MO. That is how Riyan Parag generally plays: sensational shots, but I think somewhere the overconfidence, or whatever, just gets him. to keep trying to play those shots. And because he’s obviously not focusing on every attacking shot he plays. That is something that I’ve never understood with the Rajasthan Royals.
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