Kumar Sangakkara has thrown his support behind Riyan Parag, insisting the young captain remains the right leader for Rajasthan Royals despite heavy criticism during IPL 2026.Speaking after RR’s 30-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, Sangakkara praised Parag’s leadership and the respect he commands inside the dressing room.

“I’ve seen very few players criticized like Riyan has been over the last seven years,” Sangakkara said. “But when we decided to give him the captaincy, he was absolutely the right guy to lead this franchise.”Parag has scored 272 runs this season at a strike rate of 152.80, with only two half-centuries in his first year as RR’s full-time captain. Despite his struggles with the bat, Sangakkara said the 24-year-old had handled the role with maturity and confidence.“He will grow, mature and understand himself and his players even better,” Sangakkara said. “He’s captained exceptionally well and has the respect of all the players and staff.”

Parag returned against MI after missing the previous game with a hamstring injury and scored a quick 14 off eight balls as RR posted 205 for 8 and sealed a playoff spot for the second time in three seasons.Sangakkara also defended RR’s tactical move to send Jofra Archer ahead of specialist batter Shubham Dubey during the innings. Archer responded with a blazing 32 off 15 balls — his highest IPL score.“If we had pushed another batter, we would have had to bowl four overs of Dasun Shanaka,” Sangakkara explained. “On a wicket like this, that would have been tough.”

He added that RR delayed bringing in Ravindra Jadeja as an Impact Player due to injury concerns.

“He’s been nursing an injury, so we’ve had to manage him carefully,” Sangakkara said. “The way he batted today was exceptional.”