Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan questioned Riyan Parag’s captaincy after Rajasthan Royals suffered a five-wicket loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday.
Surprisingly, frontline spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Ravindra Jadeja were given one over apiece by Riyan Parag and the RR skipper decided to introduce them to the attack as the last options.
Barring Jofra Archer, all of RR bowlers conceded their runs at an economy rate of more than 11 and thus could not defend the target of 229. Furthermore, Parag hasn’t been able to lead from the front as he was dismissed after scoring only seven runs against SRH. Parag has managed only 88 runs in eight matches at an average of 12.57 and a strike rate of 112.82 in the ongoing IPL 2026.
“You cannot discard a player after just one over, because the only way that you could be in the match was if you took wickets, and you get the opportunity from somewhere or the other. You can put more pressure on the new batter then, and you can get a few dot balls as well. So, I think Riyan Parag should learn from this. He always says that he goes to the analyst after the game and all that,” Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz.
“You have to think about which bowlers you trust and go for, when you have such a big target, and know that the match will go until the end. Even if your main bowlers go for runs, it does not make much difference. Your chances of taking wickets are from there only. So, I think he made a mistake there today, by using too many options,” he added.
On the other hand, Virender Sehwag questioned the franchise’s decision to appoint Parag as captain and said they might to rethink their call.
“Ravi Bishnoi bowled one over, and Ravindra Jadeja also bowled only one over. Neither of them are bad. They were not given a chance to bounce back after their first over. Sometimes they git hit, but you should atleast try them out for a second over. Who will get you the wickets if not them? Part-timers only come in thinking that how can he get through the over. Riyan Parag will have to think about his captaincy, and the management will have to think whether he is the right captain for them,” Virender Sehwag said.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on Punjab Kings at New Chandigarh on Tuesday.
