Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 20 (ANI): Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag revealed that a recurring hamstring injury prevented him from taking the field as an Impact Substitute despite being named in the squad, after RR’s commanding seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Tuesday.
With stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the side on the field, Parag addressed the media after the match and explained the reason behind his absence during the chase.
“I had a hamstring injury in the last match with DC. Then I recovered. It happened again in the last game during batting. That’s why I didn’t come to play as an Impact player,” Parag said at the press conference.
Reflecting on the much-needed victory at home, the RR skipper said the team had finally managed to put together a more complete performance after showing flashes of quality in previous matches.
“I think a win was due to come. I feel we played good cricket, but we didn’t play complete cricket. We played good cricket in bits of the whole game. Of the whole 40 overs. So I feel the way we played today, the way we chased, especially, that was really commendable. Really nice. But there are a few more things we can do better. With the ball. With the field as well,” Parag added.
Earlier, LSG posted a formidable 220/5 after being put into bat, riding on a blazing 109-run opening partnership between Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh. Inglis smashed 60 off 30 balls, while Marsh fell just short of a century with a 57-ball 96. Skipper Rishabh Pant chipped in late as LSG crossed the 200-run mark.
For RR, Yash Raj Punja picked up two wickets while Jofra Archer claimed one.
Parag reserved special praise for 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose breathtaking 93 off 38 balls powered the Royals’ chase.
“I think this is his best innings. He was at 5 off 10 balls. There are always two ways a batsman can go about it. One is to take it upon oneself and let one’s ego take over and say why am I not able to hit this. Or why am I not recovering from this situation? And then he just blindly slogs it. But it was really fun and curious to see that Vaibhav, being 15, took his time. He played that first big shot off Mayank Yadav over covers, which really gave me a sense of satisfaction and understanding that, okay, he is small, but then he has a larger understanding of the game. What he did was commendable, and I feel that in the last two years, that’s his best innings that I’ve seen,” Parag said.
Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings, studded with 10 sixes and seven fours, set the tone for the chase, while Dhruv Jurel added a rapid 53 as Rajasthan sealed victory with seven wickets in hand. The win lifted the Rajasthan Royals to fourth place in the IPL 2026 standings with 14 points.
Looking ahead to the remaining matches in the tournament, Parag stressed the need for improvement in bowling and game awareness despite the emphatic chase.
“I think the preparation for the future will be simple. I have spoken to the bowlers. There were some situations that we could have played better. I understand we chased 220-230 runs. They also hit 230 runs. We batted well, but I think we could have stopped them at least 20-25 runs shorter. If we had been a little smarter and put the ball. Then we could have read the wicket quickly. I think the preparation for the future will be how we can develop in the tournament and how we can finish with batting faster,” he concluded. (ANI)
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