Out of the spotlight lately, Rajasthan Royals' leader Riyan Parag didn’t let chatter get under his skin. Hitting 90 runs in just 50 deliveries brought back the rhythm.
That knock, it wasn’t about numbers piling up. Instead, wins matter more than stats stacking. Noise fades when effort stays quiet. Still, belief never dipped, even during lean patches. What counts shows up on the scoreboard, not in headlines.
A strong innings from him, followed by a rapid burst from Donovan Ferreira - 47 in just 14 balls pushed Rajasthan Royals to a solid 225 for six. Still, it fell short when the Delhi Capitals reached the target with seven wickets in hand during Friday's IPL match.
Riyan Parag shrugs off criticism, focuses on results
“I don’t think I need to answer any critics or anyone talking about it. At the end of the day, my job is to get two points. My score doesn’t matter if we lose,” Riyan Parag said at the post-match presentation.
Before this game, Riyan Parag stitched together only 117 runs across nine innings, never crossing 29. A haze followed him off the field, too. Pictures surfaced of him puffing in the dugout, costing a quarter of his match pay, drawing raised eyebrows all around.
Looking back at the match, Parag stood by choosing to bat first despite the slow pitch. A decent score, he thought, enough to challenge anyone. Yet, things slipped during the middle phase when bowling lacked control.
“I thought 200 was a par score here. It was going to slow down, but we could have bowled much better in the middle overs. We allowed too many boundaries in clusters, and that hurt us,” he explained.
Out on the pitch, Riyan Parag picked up a small hamstring problem mid-game, forcing him to step away temporarily. In his absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal took charge without delay. Coming May 9, facing the Gujarat Titans, he’s banking on being ready; recovery is moving steadily forward.
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Mitchell Starc turned up for the Delhi Capitals following a shoulder issue. Not seen in a game much past twelve weeks, he bowled sharp lines and ended with 3 wickets for 40 runs. His rhythm surprised even those who expected rust.
“Nice to get the cobwebs out. I’ve been bowling for weeks, but hadn’t faced batters until a few days ago. It’s good to tick most boxes and execute what I wanted,” Starc said.
Rising from the start, Delhi leaned on KL Rahul's 75 alongside Pathum Nissanka’s 62 to forge an early 110-run push. That opening surge carried them past a three-game skid, steadying their rhythm when it mattered most.
“We wanted to sharpen a few areas, and it’s great to get this win. Hopefully, we can build on this momentum,” said Rahul after earning the Player of the Match award.
