Riyan Parag Being Favoured To Vaibhav Suryavanshi's Opening : 5 Reasons Why Sanju Samson May Want To Part Ways With RR

After the IPL 2025 season, Sanju Samson has formally communicated his desire to part ways with Rajasthan Royals. The rift with RR management has grown, and Sanju seeks a fresh start elsewhere ahead of IPL 2026. Here are 5 Likely Reasons

Riyan Parag was given the captaincy in several IPL 2025 matches over Sanju, indicating RR’s preference for new leadership. Sanju feels sidelined as the franchise invests more trust in Parag for the future.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi impressed as an opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Since Sanju himself opens for India in T20Is, this threatens his preferred batting position and national team continuity, creating friction.

Sanju feels his opinions and inputs are no longer respected or considered in team decisions, differing from past seasons where he had more influence in the squad and strategy.

The high-profile IPL player market sees stars like Rishabh Pant securing massive contracts (₹27 crore). Sanju believes he too merits such recognition but feels undervalued by RR when compared to others.

Overall, Sanju dislikes being sidelined despite his seniority and performances. This sense of being overlooked in favor of younger players is a key driver in his wish to leave RR.

In IPL 2025, Sanju played just 9 matches due to injury but remains RR’s most capped player (149 matches) and top run-scorer (4,027 runs) with three centuries. His leadership took RR to the IPL 2022 final and consistent playoff appearances.

Key players retained for 2025 include:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi (openers)

Riyan Parag (vice-captain)

Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper-batsman)

Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, and others With Sanju’s potential exit, RR are reshaping the squad dynamics for IPL 2026.