At a glance
- Riyan Parag fires 90 for Rajasthan Royals in IPL clash
- Delhi Capitals chase down 225 to seal 7-wicket win
- KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka power dominant opening stand
Riyan Parag let his bat do the talking with a dazzling 90, brushing aside the noise around him, but it was not enough as the Rajasthan Royals slipped to a 7-wicket defeat against the Delhi Capitals in their latest Indian Premier League clash on Friday. View the full scorecard here.
Riyan Parag Fires 90 in Standout Knock
Parag’s 50-ball assault, supported by a late surge from Donovan Ferreira who struck 47 not out off just 14 balls, powered Rajasthan to a formidable 225 for 6. Yet the total proved insufficient as Delhi produced a composed chase to seal victory.
Speaking after the match at the post-match presentation, Parag made it clear that outside opinions hold little weight for him:
“I don’t think I need to answer any critics or anyone talking about it. But at the end of the day, my job is to get two points. So, my score and my innings don’t really matter if we lose the game,” he said.
The innings marked a strong return to form for Parag, who had managed just 117 runs from 9 innings prior to this effort, with a previous best of 29.
Questions had also followed him off the field after footage emerged of him vaping in the dugout, an incident that resulted in a fine of 25% of his match fee. Yet on the pitch, he let his performance do the talking.
Royals Fall Short Despite Strong Total
Despite the imposing total, Parag pointed to lapses in execution during the middle overs as the decisive factor behind Rajasthan’s defeat:
“I think it was a good score. I thought 200 was a par score here. It was going to slow down a bit, but I think we could have bowled way better in the middle overs, not let them get away a little too much.
And then a lot of boundaries in one single over and that repeated. So, I felt we missed the trick with that, but no harm with the decision we made,” he added.
His decision to bat first raised eyebrows, particularly on a surface expected to slow down, but the captain stood by the call.
Riyan Parag walked off with a hamstring issue, adding to Rajasthan’s concerns and forcing Yashasvi Jaiswal to take over the captaincy, with the skipper later offering a brief update on his condition:
“Hopefully it’s not too serious, but a little bit on the hamstring. Thankfully, we have about a week break, so we’ll clear it out,” he said.
Rajasthan will next face the Gujarat Titans on May 9 as they look to bounce back. View the full IPL Fixtures here.
Delhi Capitals Seal Chase with Dominant Start
For Delhi, the night also marked a successful comeback for Mitchell Starc. The Australian left-arm quick, returning from a shoulder injury, delivered an impressive 3 for 40 in 4 overs and struck early by dismissing Jaiswal in the first over.
Reflecting on his return, Starc said:
“Nice to get the cobwebs out. Good to get some running in the legs, get some training in. Nice return. I mean I’ve been bowling for a period of weeks. Haven’t bowled at a batter until three nights ago. In terms of ticking the boxes with the skills, I was in a position to do most of what I want to do.”
Delhi’s pursuit was anchored by a commanding 110-run opening partnership between KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka. Rahul’s 75 off 48 balls earned him the player-of-the-match award, while Nissanka contributed a fluent 62 off 34 balls as the Capitals chased down 226 with ease to snap a 3-match losing streak.
Rahul, speaking after the win, expressed relief and optimism:
“Some areas we needed to get sharp and crisp, really happy to get this win and really hoping to sting in some wins.”
It was a performance that underlined Delhi’s potential, while Rajasthan were left to reflect on what might have been despite a standout display from their captain.
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