Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for vaping in the dressing during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 28. One demerit point has been added to his record as well.
Sports Tak has learnt that Parag has been charged with violation of Level 1 offence under Article 2.1 of the IPL Player Code of Conduct (COC) which relates to unspecified breaches by players and officials. The umpires reported the matter to match referee after watching the visual proof of the incident. Parag has admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction.
Here's what the article under COC covers -
"The Article 2.21 is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically or adequately covered by the specific offences set out in the COC."
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered. Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
It means Parag has been cleared to go up against Delhi Capitals (DC) in RR's home clash on May 1.