Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag went on a rant in the post-match presentation ceremony, blasting his teammates for a forgettable performance against the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday. For Rajasthan, it was the 4th defeat in the last 5 games and also a missed opportunity to go 4th in the points table. Parag, when asked about his opinion on the team’s batting, bowling, and fielding, didn’t mince his words. The RR skipper admitted that his players “weren’t up to the mark” and if they continue to play like this, they shouldn’t even be among the top 4 teams.
The defeat against Delhi leaves Rajasthan in a must-win situation in their remaining two matches to keep their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive. RR currently sit fifth in the points table with six wins and six defeats. When asked by presenter Harsha Bhogle, where did the team lose the plot, Parag’s response was blunt.
“Pretty much everything, actually. We were in a pretty good space after 14 overs. After I got out, we didn’t capitalize on that. It was… It had to be 220-230, something like that. And as far as the bowling is concerned, I think we were just weren’t there. We weren’t up to the mark. Ferreira wasn’t a gamble. I know on TV it looks like a gamble, but then you’ve got “I’d rather bowl another over.”
“I feel we are a way better team than what we’ve played or shown in the last 4-5 games. But today was just, I feel… After coming from a break, I feel what we’ve shown today, energy-wise, skill-wise, execution-wise, is definitely not up to the mark. And if we keep on playing like this, we shouldn’t be in contention for the top 4,” he added.
Parag criticized RR’s bowling and fielding as below par, saying the overall energy, execution, and skill were not up to standard. Parag added that the team has underperformed in recent matches and, if they fail to qualify for the top four, it would be entirely their responsibility.
Harsha reminded Parag that the team can still qualify for the playoffs if they win the next two games but the skipper was in no mood to hide his disappointment over the fact that Rajasthan are putting their fate in other team’s hands, having failed to make the most of their own chances.
“Yeah, I think that’s depending on a lot of other teams as well. That is not how I like to lead. That is not how I like to speak to my team as well. That, oh, we need these guys to keep on losing so we can win two games. We’ve had the opportunity, we’ve not taken it. So if we do not qualify, it’s our fault. No one else’s. And yes, next two games, we’ll see what we can do better. and hopefully get two wins,” said Parag in his straight talk.
Chasing the target of 194 set by RR, DC were powered by a strong start from Abishek Porel (51 off 31) and KL Rahul (56 off 42), who built a dominant opening partnership of 105 runs and took the team to 72/0 in the powerplay. After a brief middle-order wobble, captain Axar Patel played a match-winning cameo of 34 off 18 balls to finish the chase with four balls remaining.
Earlier, Royals posted 193/8, led by Dhruv Jurel (53) and Riyan Parag (51), while teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impressed again with a quick 46 off 21 balls.
With ANI Inputs
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