Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals captain, was in the eye of the storm earlier this week after he was caught vaping inside the dressing room and subsequently was docked 25 per cent of his match fees for “bringing the game into disrepute.” However, days later, the right-handed batter rose above this controversy by roaring back into form in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 24-year-old played a knock of 90 runs off 50 balls against the Delhi Capitals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday. But the knock went in vain as the Rajasthan Royals’ total of 225/6 didn’t prove to be enough as the Delhi Capitals chased it down with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.
After the loss, Parag didn’t mince his words, clearly stating that the bowling could have been better, given the total was big enough. He also defended his decision to bat first, saying the score was good enough and it was just a matter of the bowlers not being good enough on the day.
“I think it was a good score. I honestly felt 200 was something around par; the wicket was going to slow down a bit. But I think we could have bowled better in the middle. We let them get away a bit too much. I felt we missed the trick,” said Parag.
The pressure was firmly on Parag before the contest against the Delhi Capitals, as he had scored 117 runs in just 9 matches, and questions were being raised about his position as captain despite his lacklustre form. However, the youngster answered the critics in style by playing a quickfire knock.
“I don’t think I need to answer any critics or whoever is talking about it. At the end of the day, my job is to get two points, and my innings don’t really matter if we have lost the game,” said Parag.
Hearing this response, former New Zealand pacer Danny Morrison expressed words of encouragement to Parag, saying, “I just love you getting runs. At the end of the day, let’s see a smile. Let’s see those teeth.” This response elicited a brief smile from Parag, but the Rajasthan Royals captain quickly returned to a stoic face.
The right-handed batter walked out to the middle in the second over after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed for four runs by Kyle Jamieson. The task was humongous for Parag, considering how the in-form openers Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal were sent back to the dugout within the first two overs.
Parag won the toss
Earlier, Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision was bold, given that all the captains had opted to bowl after winning the toss. At the time, the young batter said he decided to bat first after looking at the pitch, expecting the track to slow down as the game progressed.
Rajasthan have been performing exceptionally well under the leadership of Parag, winning 6 of their first 9 matches. Earlier, the call to appoint Parag as captain polarised opinion among fans and pundits, but as the IPL 2026 season has gone on, the batter has shown he has a calm head on his shoulders.
However, Parag made headlines for all the wrong reasons after he was found vaping during the Royals vs Punjab Kings match in Mullanpur. The clip went viral on social media, and two days later, the BCCI fined him 25 per cent of his match fees and also said that stringent action is possible for the franchise, Rajasthan Royals.
For the match against Delhi Capitals, Parag didn’t come out to field, and after the game, the skipper revealed he had suffered a hamstring injury. “Hopefully, it is not too serious. Thankfully, we have a week break, and hopefully, I will recover,” said Parag.