IPL 2025: Riyan Parag Joins Virat Kohli & Steve Smith as Top 5 Youngest Captains in Indian Premier League

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Riyan Parag has joined the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Suresh Raina and Shreyas Iyer as one of the top 5 youngest captains in Indian Premier League history when Rajasthan Royals (RR) took the field to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 2 of IPL 2025 on Sunday (March 23).

The 23-year-old from Assam, who has been part of the Royals for the last six years, is set for his first captaincy role in IPL. Parag has been named stand-in for regular captain Sanju Samson, who is expected to play only as a specialist batter and likely as an impact substitute.

Earlier in the week, Rajasthan Royals announced that Parag will lead the team in the first three matches of the 2025 season as Samson is yet to receive clearance to keep wickets from BCCI Center of Excellence following his recovery post-surgery.

As he prepares to lead the team for the first time in IPL, Riyan Parag will have the distinction of being one of the youngest captains in IPL after Kohli, Smith and Raina. In fact, he will become the fourth youngest captain in IPL history. Here is a look at the youngest captains in IPL:

Youngest Captains in IPL

• Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) - 22 years and 187 days in 2011
• Steve Smith (Pune Warriors India) - 22 years and 344 days in 2012
• Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings) - 23 years and 112 days in 2010
• Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals) - 23 years and 133 days in 2025
• Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils) - 23 years and 142 days in 2018
• Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) - 23 years and 188 days in 2021
• Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans) - 24 years and 198 days in 2024
• Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans) - 24 years and 201 days in 2023
• Dinesh Karthik (Delhi Daredevils) - 24 years and 291 days in 2010

From the above list, Parag will be the fourth youngest captain behind Kohli, Smith and Raina. While Kohli stood in for Daniel Vettori two years before he was appointed full time captain, Smith and Raina also made one captaincy appearance each for Pune Warriors India and CSK respectively.