Riyan Parag, who made his IPL debut in 2019, is now in his fifth season and a consistent player for the Rajasthan Royals. However, his statistics fall short of supporting his selection, which has drawn criticism from both experts and supporters, who are increasingly doubting his place in the team.
Although the Royals’ management has consistently supported the Assamese all-rounder, he has not been able to perform on a large platform. His dismal 52-match IPL record shows an average of 16.46 and a strike rate of 123.61.
Riyan is anticipated to increase the strike rate and occasionally serve as a finisher as a middle-order batter. But he has had trouble doing his part.
While the needed run rate was above 10, Riyan scored four runs off the first eight balls he faced in the game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Ravi Shastri, a former player and coach for India, questioned his strategy and spoke with Star Sports, the IPL’s official broadcaster.
“They lost (Sanju) Samson, they lost (Jos) Buttler and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal but still they had enough, a lot of depth. I think that period of play when Riyan came in and the way he played his first eight balls changed the course of the match. Padikkal, at the other end, lost his rhythm as well.”
“When you go through that much time without a boundary, you are asking for trouble,” Shastri on Riyan Parag.
At one point, there was a 28-ball stretch during which just singles were scored and no boundaries were scored.
“When you go through that much time without a boundary, you are asking for trouble,” Shastri said. This failure was the most recent in a string of others, not an isolated incident.
“They knew what they were chasing. Luckily, they are on top of the table and they will learn a lot from this defeat. Parag was given the responsibility, they watched how he played,” Shastri added.
After the Royals’ match against LSG, head coach Kumar Sangakkara noted the challenge given to him by the administration:
“In such situations, he is there to go out and hit as many sixes as quickly as he can. He is batting well in the nets, and we do back our players. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been in good form. We will assess that and address that during his training and see where we get to in the next few games.”
Additionally, his involvement with the ball is rather lackluster. In 52 IPL games, he has taken four wickets at an economy of 10.70. Considering how effectively the Royals’ top five bowlers have performed thus far this season, Riyan has not been utilized at all as a leg-break bowler. Abdul Basith, Akash Vashisht, and Kunal Singh Rathore are more choices that could be investigated. Who knows, betting on these young players might pay off for the Royals.
The Royals now have some work to do; they must search for better middle-order choices.