Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag reacts after winning the IPL match against Mumbai Indians and sealing the playoffs spot at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Rajasthan Royals Schedule IPL 2025: Inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Rajasthan Royals will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against 2024 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in an away game. RR started off well in IPL 2024, but fell away in the second half of the season, ultimately losing to SRH in the Qualifier 2. RR retained captain Sanju Samson, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag and Sandeep Sharma ahead of the mega auction. Their costliest purchase came in the form of English pacer Jofra Archer. The team also welcomed Rahul Dravid as their head coach ahead of IPL 2025.

Here is Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2025 schedule in full:

25 March: GT vs PBKS – Ahmedabad – 7:30 PM IST

1 April: LSG vs PBKS – Lucknow – 7:30 PM IST

5 April: PBKS vs RR – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

8 April: PBKS vs CSK – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

12 April: SRH vs PBKS – Hyderabad – 7:30 PM IST

15 April: PBKS vs KKR – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

18 April: RCB vs PBKS – Bengaluru – 7:30 PM IST

20 April: PBKS vs RCB – New Chandigarh – 3:30 PM IST

26 April: KKR vs PBKS – Kolkata – 7:30 PM IST

30 April: CSK vs PBKS – Chennai – 7:30 PM IST

4 May: PBKS vs LSG – Dharamshala – 7:30 PM IST

8 May: PBKS vs DC – Dharamshala – 7:30 PM IST

11 May: PBKS vs MI – Dharamshala – 3:30 PM IST

16 May: RR vs PBKS – Jaipur – 7:30 PM IST

RR IPL 2025 Squad: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer (Rs. 12.50 crore), Maheesh Theekshana (Rs. 4.4 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs. 5.25 crore), Akash Madhwal (Rs. 1.20 crore), Kumar Kartikeya (Rs. 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs. 4.20 crore), Tushar Deshpande (Rs. 6.50 crore), Shubham Dubey (Rs. 80 lakh), Yudhvir Singh (Rs. 35 lakh), Fazalhaq Farooqi (Rs. 2 crore), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rs. 1.10 crore), Kwena Maphaka (Rs. 1.50 crore), Kunal Rathore (Rs. 30 lakh), Ashok Sharma (Rs. 30 lakh).

Screengrab of Ed Sheeran playing cricket with Rajasthan Royals.© Rajasthan Royals

Riyan Parag has been declared fit to return for Assam in the seventh round of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, starting January 30. The 23-year-old will captain Assam in their final league match against Saurashtra in Rajkot. Parag’s last competitive appearance was in the third T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in October 2024. Since then, he has been sidelined by a shoulder injury that required surgery, which ruled him out of the T20I series in South Africa, the ongoing series against England, and India’s Champions Trophy squad. However, his return to action could help him regain match fitness should India need him as a replacement in the near future.

Having played ten T20Is for India since his debut against Zimbabwe in July 2024, Parag is known for his explosive batting and handy quick-spin bowling. Before his injury, his all-round skills added valuable depth to India’s lineup.

In the previous Ranji Trophy season, Parag showcased his prowess with the bat, amassing 378 runs in six innings at an impressive average of 75.60 and a strike rate of 113.85. He was also the leading six-hitter of the season, smashing 20 maximums.

Assam, currently at the bottom of the Elite Group D table with no wins in six matches (two losses and four draws), will hope Parag’s return inspires a strong finish. While Assam is out of playoff contention, Saurashtra remains in the hunt for a knockout spot, making this clash crucial for the hosts.

Assam squad: Riyan Parag (capt), Denish Das (vice-capt), Mukhtar Hussain, Mrinmoy Dutta, Rahul Singh, Dipjyoti Saikia, Parvez Musaraf, Sumit Ghadigaonkar (wk), Rishav Das, Anurag Talukdar (wk), Avinav Choudhury, Sibsankar Roy, Akash Sengupta, Pradyun Saikia, Amlanjyoti Das.

RR Full Squad, IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals were pro-active on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, spending majority of their kitty on some big names on Sunday. Jofra Archer emerged as the most expensive buy as RR brought back their former player for a whopping sum of Rs 12.50 crore. Having retained their core group of players, RR bolstered their group with the prominent signings of Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande and Fazalhaq Farooqi. On Day 2 of the auction, RR pulled off some smart buys, mostly on uncapped Indian stars. (Full Squad)

PLAYERS BOUGHT:

1. Jofra Archer – Rs 12.5 crore

2. Maheesh Theekshana – Rs 4.4 crore

3. Wanindu Hasaranga – Rs 5.25 crore

4. Akash Madhwal – Rs 1.2 crore

5. Kumar Kartikeya – Rs 30 lakh

6. Nitish Rana – Rs 4.40 crore

7. Tushar Deshpande – Rs 6.50 crore

8. Shubham Dubey – Rs 80 lakh

9. Yudhvir Singh – Rs 35 lakh

10. Fazalhaq Farooqi – Rs 2 crore

11. Vaibhav Suryavanshi – Rs 1.1 crore

12. Kwena Maphaka – Rs 1.5 crore

13. Kunal Rathore – Rs 30 lakh

14. Ashok Sharma – Rs 30 lakh

Full list of retained players: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel

Full list of released players: Jos Buttler, Kunal Rathore, Donovan Ferreira, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tanush Kotian, Abid Mushtaq, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Keshav Maharaj, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Nandre Burger

RR Full Squad, IPL 2025: List Of Players Bought By Rajasthan Royals© BCCI

Screengrab of Riyan Parag’s bizarre no-ball.© X (Twitter)

The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh will get another opportunity to enhance their red-ball credentials when the final round of Duleep Trophy matches begin in Anantapur on Thursday. No knockout games are scheduled for the season opening event and the team with maximum points will lift the trophy. With nine points from two games, India C sit at the top of the points table, followed by India B (7), India A (6) and India D (0).

Table leaders India C, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Mayank Agarwal led India A, while Abhimanyu Easwaran led India B will face India D, whose captain is under-pressure Iyer.

After being ignored for the Bangladesh series, Iyer had a point to prove but he has not been able to lead from the front thus far in the competition. With his team yet to earn a point in the tournament, he will be fired up to put an inspiring performance.

The performance of India D batter Samson and pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be tracked by the selectors. In the India B camp, Rinku will be aiming to get big runs after low returns in the previous game.

In the India A versus India C contest, the selectors will be expecting more runs from Agarwal, Parag and Sai Sudharsan. Parag has batted confidently thus far but needs to stay longer in the middle.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, making a comeback from injury in the previous round, would be looking to log in a significant number of overs while Shams Mulani will be fancying another match-winning effort in the prevailing conditions. Ishan Kishan, who made a memorable return to red ball cricket by scoring a hundred for India C, will need another epic knock to garner more attention from the selectors.

India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Ishan Kishan, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa. 

India D’s Sanju Samson plays in action agaisnt India A during the Duleep Trophy cricket 2nd Match between India A vs India D at the Rural Development Trust Stadium A ground, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh
| Photo Credit: Jothi Ramalingam B

The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and Rinku Singh will get another opportunity to enhance their red-ball credentials when the final round of Duleep Trophy matches begins on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

No knockout games are scheduled for the season opening event and the team with maximum points will lift the trophy. With nine points from two games, India C sit at the top of the points table, followed by India B (7), India A (6) and India D (0).

Table leaders India C, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Mayank Agarwal led India A, while Abhimanyu Easwaran led India B will face India D, whose captain is under-pressure Iyer.

After being ignored for the Bangladesh series, Iyer had a point to prove but he has not been able to lead from the front thus far in the competition. With his team yet to earn a point in the tournament, he will be fired up to put an inspiring performance.

The performance of India D batter Samson and pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be tracked by the selectors. In the India B camp, Rinku will be aiming to get big runs after low returns in the previous game.

In the India A versus India C contest, the selectors will be expecting more runs from Agarwal, Parag and Sai Sudharsan. Parag has batted confidently thus far but needs to stay longer in the middle.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, making a comeback from injury in the previous round, would be looking to log in a significant number of overs while Shams Mulani will be fancying another match-winning effort in the prevailing conditions.

Ishan Kishan, who made a memorable return to red ball cricket by scoring a hundred for India C, will need another epic knock to garner more attention from the selectors.

Squads:

India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Ishan Kishan, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa.

India A batter Riyan Parag had another poor outing with the bat in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, this time during the second round match against India D in Anantpur. After scoring 37 off just 29 balls in the first innings, Parag failed to convert a good start in the second innings, perishing to Saurab Kumar for 20 off 31 balls. He came out to bat with a positive intent smashing two sixes. However, his knock was cut shot due to a poor choice of shot on the final ball of the 69th over.

Parag miscued a shot as the ball hit the toe-end of the bat, and substitute fielder Aditya Thakare took a brilliant catch to end the former’s stay in the middle.

Parag’s flop show, however, sparked a huge debate on social media, with fans complaining that the youngster doesn’t know how to convert his starts into a big knock.

Here’s how internet reacted:

You never doubt the villains. #RiyanParag pic.twitter.com/jY0hMvouow

— Kaushik Kashyap (@CricKaushik_) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag gets the start in almost every inning but fails to convert into the big one.He has to understand people remember a big hundred.

His recent scores in Duleep Trophy,20, 37, 31 and 30. pic.twitter.com/jK2mA6V7pg

— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag in the Duleep Trophy 2024 so far for India A:

30, 31, 37, 20.#RiyanParag #DuleepTrophy #DuleepTrophy2024 #DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/D8ZAc08lw4

— Sa HiB (LQ) (@SaHib__143) September 14, 2024

Riyan Parag got another start but failed to capitalise yet again !!

His scores thus far in the Duleep Trophy: 30, 31, 37, 20 !! #DuleepTrophy #JaspritBumrah #ViratKohli #INDvBAN #MorneMorkel #SuryakumarYadav #TeamIndia #Chepauk pic.twitter.com/XqLHy2M8TQ

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) September 14, 2024

20(31) Riyan parag gifted his wicket after settled#riya #parag #riyanparang #DuleepTrophy2024 #cricket #IPL2025 #ipl #test pic.twitter.com/lMGSUBQZna

— mzk (@Zuhaib006) September 14, 2024

Meanwhile, Pratham Singh and Tilak Varma notched up their respective centuries while sharing a 104-run stand for the second wicket to put India A in command against India D on day three.

On a day dominated by the batters, efforts of Pratham (122 off 189 balls) and Tilak (111* off 193 balls) along with Shashwat Rawat‘s 64 off 88 balls and captain Mayank Agarwal‘s 56 on day two helped India A declare their innings at 380/3 in 98 overs, setting India D a huge target of 489.

At stumps, India D reached 62/1 in 19 overs, and need 426 more runs to register an improbable win. Ricky Bhui (44*) and Yash Dubey (15*) steadied the ship for India D till stumps arrived after the early loss of Atharva Taide, who was dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed for the second time in this match.

(With IANS Inputs)