‘I'm going through a phase’: Riyan Parag opens up on personal struggles amid RR captaincy pressure

Lucknow: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag acknowledged on Wednesday that he is currently navigating a "tough phase" during the first half of the IPL 2026 season, though he maintained he will not alter his aggressive batting style simply to secure "safe runs."

Parag, who has accumulated 81 runs across seven innings at a modest average of 13.50, was dismissed for 20 in the Royals' clash against the Lucknow Super Giants. Despite his struggle to convert starts into substantial scores, the 24-year-old noted that he retains the full confidence of the franchise.

"Everyone has been very supportive," Parag stated following the match as reported by ESPN cricinfo. "I've been going through a phase as well. Right before the IPL, I had gone through something, and even now I'm going through something, and everyone understands that. Everyone respects that, and I thank them for that."

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Commitment to Team Strategy

The captain emphasised that his personal scoring drought would not lead him to prioritise individual statistics over team requirements. He rejected the idea of batting conservatively to find form.

"I feel the way I'm batting [a big] innings is not not too far away, but, as I've been saying, if I go in tomorrow and I play another game, it's going to be what the team needs," Parag said. "It's not me not scoring runs and taking my time, getting 40 off 30, that's not going to happen. I go out there, assess conditions; if they want me to go to 200 from ball one, I do that."

Match Analysis

The Royals found themselves in a precarious position at 62 for 4 following Parag's dismissal. A middle-order collapse left the team at 110 for 6 before a late-innings surge by Ravindra Jadeja helped lift the total to 159. Parag admitted that despite the victory, the batting unit fell roughly 20 runs short of its target.

"Firstly, I feel we were really short with the bat," Parag remarked. "I thought, honestly, even with the situation we had, we were close to getting 180, and that would have been a really good score because I knew it was going to be slowing down later."

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Bowling Dominance

While the batting struggled, Rajasthan’s bowling attack, led by Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, proved decisive. Both pacers bowled three overs during the powerplay, finishing with matching figures of 1 for 15. The defensive effort was further bolstered by an agile piece of fielding from substitute Ravi Singh, who executed the run-out of Ayush Badoni.

"For two bowlers to bowl three in the powerplay at this stage of the game or how T20 cricket is evolving, I think it's just commendable," the captain said. He described the overall effort in the field as "impressive," noting that the team successfully exploited the early movement available under the lights.

With the 40-run victory, the Rajasthan Royals secured their fifth win in seven matches, ascending to the second position on the IPL points table. The team is scheduled to return to Jaipur to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25.