Riyan Parag is leading RR exceptionally in IPL 2026. PC- AP
In the middle of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), all the limelight is on the players and coaches participating in the lucrative T20 league. However, there is cricket happening beside that in India as well.
With so many injuries and various signings, a former Mumbaikar has joined the Riyan Parag-famed side, but not in the IPL.
Off the lucrative league, a much-appreciated deal has been signed in Indian domestic circuit.
Kiran Powar appointed as Assam's head coach
Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has brought in Kiran Powar as the head coach for its red-ball men's team for the next two years. Powar was succeeded by Vivek Jaisimha, while there is no verdict on the position of RX Murali, who serves as the white-ball head coach.
The 50-year-old cricketer-turned-coach is a former Ranji player who represented Mumbai, where he played alongside his brother Ramesh Powar, as well as Assam and Goa, and played from 1996 to 2006. In 39 First-Class games and 32 List-A matches, scoring close to 3500 domestic runs with a best of 175. He also picked 19 wickets across two formats.
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Quite recently, the former left-handed batter was the head coach of Mumbai Under-23.
Powar will join the leadership group, which includes assistant coaches Salil Sinha, Subhrajit Saikia, and Bhaskar Borah (Trainer), Dr Koustob Bharadwaj (Physio) & Rajesh Sharma (Video Analyst).
For Assam, the former Mumbai U23 coach will form a duo with the Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag, who is also a top member of the Assam squads.
RR's masterstroke of unearthing "genius" Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag was named Rajasthan Royals' captain after the Sanju Samson's departure to Chennai, after the Assam cricketer was nurtured to be a world-class all-rounder from an India U19 rookie.
Debuted in 2019, Parag was backed by the RR management for multiple seasons, until he had his breakthrough season in IPL 2024, blasting 573 runs in 16 matches. He backed it with 393 runs at a strike rate of 166.53, and led the franchise with Samson missing a few games due to injuries.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, the 24-year-old was picked by the franchise over the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel. The move has been a tactical genius by Kumar Sangakkara and co., as the Royals started the season with four wins in a row.
However, they have lost two games on the trot, against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, quite recently.
Riyan Parag, the batter, facing captaincy's heat?
Apart from the defeats to SRH and KKR, the Royals have been flying high. The inaugural IPL champions have arguably the best opening pair as well as the bowling department in IPL 2026. However, Rajasthan's middle order is performing bleakly under pressure.
Riyan Parag is regarded as one of the most talented young middle-order batters, but he has not done much with the bat so far. In six innings, he has hit just 60 runs at an average of 12, with a best of 20.
Having said that, the handy off-spinner is bowling well for the Royals, despite just bowling an over or so in a game.
Nevertheless, after two successive losses, the Riyan Parag-led unit will face-off with Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday (April 22) at the Ekana Stadium.
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