Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag has struggled for form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. On April 19, Parag's dull season continued as he departed after scoring 12 runs from 14 balls, not being able to build upon the platform set by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Soryavanshi. After Royals’ four-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), questions have been raised in the direction of Parag. But, the batting coach has shrugged off all concerns. He backs Parag to do well and pointed out that the batting all-rounder is coming back from an injury.
“As far as I am concerned, it is just a matter of time. Not everyone makes runs every time. Teams run in such a way that some stay in form, some stay out of form. There is no doubt that he will come back and win us a few games on his own as a batter,” Rathour said in the post-match press conference.
ALSO READ: 2 pacers audition for a CSK spot after Khaleel Ahmed gets ruled out of IPL 2026
“He has a lot of potential. There is nothing going wrong with him. One thing is he has come back from an injury. He has played less competitive cricket before getting into IPL. And IPL is a tough tournament. It is not an easy tournament,” he added.
ALSO READ: Babar Azam scores his fastest PSL century, equals Virat Kohli's partnership record
Parag scores in the IPL 2026 are — 14 not out, 8, 20, 3, 4 and 12. While the top order has done the heavy lifting, Royals’ middle-order has been a concern. From 81 for no loss in the ninth over, they managed to post 155/9 on the board.
Parag’s captaincy questioned
Meanwhile, Parag’s captaincy has been under the scanner as well, following two consecutive defeats. His former teammate, Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised Parag for underutilistaion of Ravindra Jadeja who conceded just eight runs from three overs and picked up three wickets against KKR. Also, he chose to give the final over to Brijesh Sharma instead of South African left-arm pacer Nandre Burger.
Despite the two defeats, RR are placed third on the points table with four wins. Parag will have a point to prove when RR take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 22.