‘Nothing going wrong with him’ – That’s what Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara and batting coach Vikram Rathour have said of captain Riyan Parag’s lack of runs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Before the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) game, it was Sangakkara and after the game, it was Rathour. Both said that Parag has been doing well in the nets but the results have not reflected whenever he has come out to bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
"There is nothing going wrong with him. He is batting well in the nets, he is working hard. So that is how this game goes sometimes. You get into a lean phase or a phase where you are not scoring as many runs as you would like to. But that is part of the game, I think. He will come back and he will come back strong. I am pretty sure of that,” Rathour told the reporters after Royals’ five-wicket loss to SRH even after posting 228/6 on the board.
Whatever may be the feedback from the coaching staff to Parag, it hasn’t gone his way as the low scores keep piling up. On April 25 at Royals’ homeground, Parag walked in to bat at no.4, ahead of Donovan Ferreira and Shimron Hetmyer. He managed to score just seven runs from nine deliveries. On the first ball of the 17th over, SRH skipper Pat Cummins bowled a yorker-length cutter which knocked Parag over.
Parag says RR were ‘10-15’ runs short
At one point, RR looked set to post around 250 on the board but they could not build on the platform set by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 37-ball 103. 55 runs were scored in 37 deliveries after the 15-year-old opener departed. The target was chased down by SRH with five wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.
“I think we left like 10-15 on the table. To be honest, they bowled really well in the 18th and the 19th over. They bowled like, executed really good yorkers. I felt not much we could have done. But best-case scenario, I think we would have liked another 15 runs,” Parag said in the post-match presentation.
From eight innings, Parag has managed to score 88 runs at an average of 12.57 and strike rate of 112.82. His best of 20 came against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Parag will face a challenge against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 27 in Mullanpur.