A strong leader can make the world notice a team that is considered an underdog. And that’s why Shane Warne was exactly the type of leader that Rajasthan Royals (RR) needed.
Warne was a great support for RR in the early days. His fearlessness in captaincy made them the champions of 2008 and this drew the attention of others to their strength. The Royals have not won the title again yet, but they have been fortunate to have some strong leaders.
Let Us Look At The Captains Who Have Led Rajasthan Royals Throughout The History Of IPL
1. Shane Warne
After the IPL started in 2008, Rajasthan Royals (RR) were considered an underdog team. They were a young and unpolished group of players led by Shane Warne.
Warne’s spin department was powerful while he lacked captaincy experience. However, the Australian legend wore two hats- one as captain and the other as the prestigious position of coach or mentor.
Warne made a very good team with his young unit and the new champions of IPL came from nowhere. It was a surprise indeed, as many people had not considered RR a contender for the trophy.
He continued as captain until 2011 but he could not achieve the big success. He took a bow with a record of 31 wins out of 55 games as the RR captain.
2. Rahul Dravid
With Warne retiring Rajasthan Royals needed a strong captain to manage the transition. Hence, the responsibility was given to Rahul Dravid in 2012.
He brought in his vast experience as India’s captain, but it was not an easy road ahead. RR had a roller-coaster season in 2012 finishing in the seventh position.
Next season, however, saw a magnificent comeback from the Royals. Dravid led RR to playoffs for the first time since 2008. Their dream of winning the title again was cut short as they tasted defeat at the hands of Mumbai in Qualifier 2.
Despite this, Dravid’s composed leadership yielded 18 wins out of 34 matches for the Royals.
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3. Shane Watson
Shane Watson was the third player in a row to be selected as RR’s captain. He got the captaincy of the team from Dravid in the year 2014.
The Australian all-rounder had a roller-coaster ride as the captain of RR. The Royals gathered a total of eight victories under Watson’s guidance in 21 matches.
4. Steve Smith
Steve Smith was officially named the full-time captain in 2019 but he filled in for Watson in 2015. He displayed his leadership skills as RR advanced to the playoffs that year.
Smith was reappointed as RR captain in the middle of the 2019 tournament. He took over from Ajinkya Rahane who was the captain before him.
The Australian batsman had another year as the raised RR captain, but it was not easy. In total, Smith led RR to 15 victories out of 27 matches.
5. Ajinkya Rahane
Before Smith took over the position, Ajinkya Rahane was the one who led RR after their two-year ban. The Royals were in dire need of an image change.
And what better way than to make it to the playoffs? Rahane’s steady leadership brought dividends for the Royals in the year 2018.
At the halfway point of the league, they were not even in the playoff race. But the Royals came back with four wins in their last five games to finish in the fourth position.
Although they were unable to go past the Eliminator, it was a sign of Rahane’s greatness as captain. But he couldn’t do it again in 2019.
The performance of the Royals deteriorated in IPL 2019 and that forced Rahane to resign. He led RR in 24 matches, with only nine victories to his credit.
6. Sanju Samson
The Royals went through four captains during the years, but they alongside the way prepared Sanju Samson for the big task. And he proved it, the choice of the Royals was right.
The Rajasthan Royals had a bad season in 2021, but Samson turned around the team in 2022. He became the second RR captain to guide the team to an IPL finale.
A composed Samson brought the mighty RR team to the second position of the league. The team could not go ahead to the finals, but it was a very significant moment for Samson.
Royals did not make it to the playoffs in 2023. They did, however, return in 2024. They reached Qualifier 2 but could not make it to the finals again.
From the moment of his appointment, Samson went on to become the most victorious skipper of RR. His statistics are self-explanatory.
7. Riyan Parag
Samson is still the captain, but Riyan Parag took over for him in 2025. However, he did not have a really good beginning of his captaincy career.
Still, when Parag became captain during their first league match, he was already the fourth youngest to lead a team in IPL.
