Rajasthan Royals

IPL Trophy:- 2008

Captain

Riyan Parag

Coach

Kumar Sangakkara

Owner

Royal Multisport Private Limited

Venue

Sawai Mansingh Stadium

Captain

-

Riyan Parag

Coach

-

Kumar Sangakkara

Owner

-

Royal Multisport Private Limited

Venue

-

Sawai Mansingh Stadium

Overview

Rajasthan Royals team is among the eight initial franchises in the Indian premier league. It was established in 2008 and it is located in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Their difference with the rest of the IPL sides lies in the fact that they are the winners of the very first season of the tournament. No one thought they would make it that far in the same year, yet they had won the trophy under the captaincy of Shane Warne. Ever since, they have experienced their ups and downs, yet they have never failed to remain a relevant part of the competition.

The RR franchise is somewhat different in terms of style compared to the big spending teams. They are also reputed to be identifying talent at an early stage and develop around young players. Ravindra Jadeja, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are some of the names who received their initial opportunities with this team. That is one of the reasons why the Rajasthan Royals IPL team has a strong fan base despite the absence of a second title to date.

Going into IPL 2026, the Royals have a bit of a different picture. One of the most significant deals was done before the season, and Sanju Samson transferred to Chennai Super Kings and Ravindra Jadeja transferred in the opposite direction. Riyan Parag has been appointed as the captain and Kumar Sangakkara has been brought in as the coach. It is a fresh start for a team that had made it to the final in 2022.

Field	Value
Team Name	Rajasthan Royals
Founded Year	2008
Captain	Riyan Parag
Coach	Kumar Sangakkara
Owner	Royal Multisport Private Limited (recently sold to an American consortium led by Kal Somani, Rob Walton, and the Hamp family for $1.63 billion in March 2026)
Home Ground	Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur / Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
League	Indian Premier League (IPL)
Titles Won	1 (2008)

Team History

The Rajasthan Royals squad has changed a lot over the years, but the story of the franchise goes back to 2008 when they were one of the eight original IPL teams. At the time, they were considered the weakest team in the tournament. They were given little chance by experts and fans alike. But Shane Warne, their captain and coach, built something special with a group of relatively unknown players.

They won the 2008 IPL title in style. Shane Watson was the standout performer with both bat and ball. Sohail Tanvir was the Purple Cap holder. Yusuf Pathan hit the match-winning runs in the final. It was a fairy tale season for a team nobody believed in.

After that, the team went through some difficult years. There were ownership disputes, a two-year suspension from 2015 to 2016 due to a spot-fixing investigation involving some players, and a lot of inconsistency on the field. But they kept rebuilding. Rahul Dravid came in as a coach and developed players like Samson and Jaiswal. In 2022, they reached the IPL final under Samson’s captaincy but lost to Gujarat Titans.

In 2025, things went badly wrong. They won just four games out of 14 and finished ninth. That poor season triggered a big reset. The franchise decided to trade Samson to CSK, get Jadeja back, and hand the captaincy to Riyan Parag for 2026. Sangakkara, who was already with the team as Director of Cricket, was elevated to Head Coach. In March 2026, a major ownership change also happened. An American consortium bought 100% of the franchise for $1.63 billion, the second-highest IPL sale ever.

Team Performance

The Rajasthan Royals Stats over the years tell a story of a team that has seen more ups and downs than others. Their best run was in 2008 when they won the title. After that, they were banned for two seasons and missed out on 2016 and 2017 too. Since their return, they have made the playoffs a few times but have not been consistent enough to challenge for the title regularly.

In 2022, they had their best season since 2008. They finished second in the league stage and then beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the qualifier to reach the final. They lost to Gujarat Titans in the final, but it was still their strongest campaign in over a decade.

In 2023, they started well, winning four out of five early games. But the form dropped off and they ended up finishing fifth. In 2024, they finished third in the league and made the playoffs but lost in Qualifier 2 to Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2025, the team struggled badly and finished ninth with just four wins. That was their worst season in a long time.

Season	Finish	Wins	Matches
2008	Champions	Majority	14
2022	Runners-up	9	16
2024	3rd / Qualifier 2	9	16
2025	9th	4	14

For IPL 2026, the team goes into the season with a restructured Rajasthan Royals 2026 squad and a clear focus on fixing the death-overs batting issue that hurt them in 2025. Players like Donovan Ferreira and Dasun Shanaka have been brought in specifically for that role.

Records & Achievements

The Rajasthan Royals Records are modest in terms of titles but carry a lot of historic value. Here are the key ones:

Titles Won: 1 (IPL 2008)
Finals Appearances: 2 (2008 when they became champions, 2022 when they became runners-up)
Playoff Appearances: Multiple, including 2013, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024

Special Records:

Sohail Tanvir took the first-ever six-wicket haul in IPL history (6/14 vs CSK in 2008) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Yuzvendra Chahal became the IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker while playing for the Royals in 2024
Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored the fastest IPL century by an Indian, a 35-ball hundred at their home ground in 2025
Yashasvi Jaiswal is now the leading run-scorer for the franchise in the IPL with 2,166 runs, following the trade of Sanju Samson who had scored 4,219 runs for the team

Winning Streaks: Best run was in the 2022 season when they went on multiple winning streaks and qualified for the final. In 2024, they also had a run of four consecutive wins mid-season.

Home Ground Details

The Royals play most of their home games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. For IPL 2026, they are also using Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati for a few home fixtures.

Stadium Name: Sawai Mansingh Stadium (SMS Stadium)
Capacity: Approximately 30,000 spectators
Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Year Opened: 1969

Pitch Type: The pitch here is fairly balanced. In T20 matches, it tends to be a decent batting surface with good carry and true bounce. Pacers can get some movement early on and spinners get more grip as the match progresses. Teams chasing have done better here historically. Out of 58 IPL matches played at the venue, the chasing team has won 38 times.

Home Advantage: The Royals have always enjoyed the backing of Jaipur’s cricket fans. The atmosphere at night matches is good and the familiar conditions help their spinners and pace bowlers. The average first-innings score at SMS Stadium in the IPL is around 162 runs.

For IPL 2026, the team is also using Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, which has a capacity of 40,000. The Guwahati fixtures include the high-profile clash against CSK, where Jadeja and Samson face their former teams.

Latest News

The Rajasthan Royals News coming into IPL 2026 has been mostly about the big changes at the franchise. The Samson-to-CSK trade was the most talked-about deal of the pre-season. In exchange, the team got back Ravindra Jadeja, who actually started his IPL career with the Royals back in 2008.

The Rajasthan Royals captain for IPL 2026 is Riyan Parag, 24, who has been given the full-time leadership role after serving as stand-in captain nine times over the past two seasons. Head coach Kumar Sangakkara publicly backed Parag, saying the choice was made after a careful process that looked at maturity, critical thinking, and leadership ability.

At the IPL 2026 auction, the team focused heavily on spin options and signed Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Raj Punja, and Vignesh Puthur. Their expected playing XI features Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, Riyan Parag at three, Shimron Hetmyer in the middle order, Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper, Ravindra Jadeja as the senior all-rounder, and Jofra Archer leading the pace attack.

The Rajasthan Royals Schedule for IPL 2026 starts with their home opener against CSK on March 30 at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, which is a particularly interesting match given the player trades. For the latest Rajasthan Royals Fixtures, fans can check the official IPL website.

The Rajasthan Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara has spoken about the team’s goals for the season, focusing on building a consistent unit rather than relying on individual performances as they did in previous years.

Other Teams

Batters

Riyan Parag

Batter

Shubham Dubey

Batter

Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Batter

Donovan Ferreira

WK-Batter

Lhuan-dre Pretorius

Batter

Ravi Singh

WK-Batter

Ravi Singh

WK-Batter

Aman Rao Perala

Batter

Shimron Hetmyer

Batter

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Batter

Dhruv Jurel

WK-Batter

All Rounders

Yudhvir Singh Charak

All-Rounder

Ravindra Jadeja

All-Rounder

Sam Curran

All-Rounder

Vipraj Nigam

All-Rounder

Ajay Mandal

All-Rounder

Bowlers

Jofra Archer

Bowler

Tushar Deshpande

Bowler

Kwena Maphaka

Bowler

Ravi Bishnoi

Bowler

Sushant Mishra

Bowler

Yash Raj Punja

Bowler

Yash Raj Punja

Bowler

Vignesh Puthur

Bowler

Brijesh Sharma

Bowler

Adam Milne

Bowler

Kuldeep Sen

Bowler

Sandeep Sharma

Bowler

Nandre Burger

Bowler

Brijesh Sharma

Bowler

Adam Milne

Bowler

Kuldeep Sen

Bowler

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Rajasthan Royals captain for IPL 2026?

Riyan Parag is the Rajasthan Royals captain for IPL 2026. He was given the full-time captaincy after Sanju Samson was traded to CSK before the season.

Who is the Rajasthan Royals coach for IPL 2026?

Kumar Sangakkara is the Rajasthan Royals coach for IPL 2026. He served as Director of Cricket for the franchise before being elevated to head coach. He previously led the coaching setup when the Royals reached the 2022 final.

What are the Rajasthan Royals records in the IPL?

The Rajasthan Royals Records include one IPL title in 2008 and a runners-up finish in 2022. They also hold the record for the first-ever six-wicket haul in IPL history, taken by Sohail Tanvir in 2008. Yuzvendra Chahal also became the all-time IPL leading wicket-taker while playing for the franchise.

Where can I find the Rajasthan Royals schedule and fixtures for IPL 2026?

The full Rajasthan Royals Schedule is available on the official IPL website. The Rajasthan Royals Fixtures for IPL 2026 include home games at both Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur and Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Their first match is on March 30 against CSK.

What are the Rajasthan Royals stats in the IPL overall?

The Rajasthan Royals Stats show that the team has won one IPL title, appeared in two finals, and made the playoffs multiple times including in 2013, 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Their 2025 season was their worst in recent memory with just four wins from 14 games.