"Average Player With Aggressive PR": Riyan Parag Faces Heat From RR Fans After Struggle vs KKR

Riyan Parag Faces Heat From RR Fans [Source: JioHostar, X]

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag had an off-day on the field as he got dismissed for 12 off 14 balls against KKR in the 28th match of the IPL 2026 season. Naturally, the skipper got trolled on social media for his failure.

After opting to bat first, RR had a strong start as they reached 100 runs in 11 overs. However, KKR made a comeback as Varun Chakaravarthy bowled a brilliant spell to fetch a three-wicket-haul.

Riyan Parag called ‘fraud’ by angry fans

RR’s run rate slowed down in the middle overs, and the main culprit, according to social media, was Riyan Parag. The captain played 14 balls but managed to score just 12 runs off them before getting bowled by Chakaravarthy.

Varun Chakaravarthy set up Parag perfectly with a flighted delivery that tempted the big shot but dipped and spun back sharply into the right-hander. 

Riyan Parag, feeling the mounting dot-ball pressure, shuffled across to the leg side to target mid-wicket and went for a slog, but he failed to get to the pitch of the ball. 

Beaten by the turn and timing, he swung through thin air as the ball sneaked past the bat and crashed into the off-stump, with the bails lighting up.

Meanwhile, fans on social media raged up at Riyan Parag. So far in the season, he has scored 12, 4, 3, 20, 8 and 14 runs, respectively, in the last 6 games.

With the skipper not leading from the front, RR fans felt disappointed and ended up calling him a ‘fraud’ and ‘overhyped’ player.

Kajukatli

@_Kajukatli

Bhai riyan parag ko to mai gali cricket ka bhi captain na banau 😭 #ipl

👑 SANDEEP

@sdcharan33

The thirdclass retain from #RR Choker player #KKRvRR #parag #riyan #riyanparag

𝚅𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚗¹⁸

@varunx18

Riyan Parag is a perfect example of what Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni did to fool fans. Give a captain a strong team, the team wins, and no one questions his performance. This has been happening in IPL for years. A good team can make an average player look like a boss.

A

@IAbhi026

Riyan parag was always an average player with agressive pr. Yeah just 2-3 audacious shots & people think he's some extraordinary player

Dr Suvarna Sharma

@SuvarnaSharma4

@LoyalSachinFan Everyone performed once or twice but riyan parag is biggest scam !!! As always RR choking again like last year

K44

@kishorerathore8

Trade riyan parag to KKR for free.

Also Read - "Extra Service For Extra Pay"- KKR Fans Roast Cameron Green For 10-Ball Over

Kartik Tyagi delivered a sensational over

Meanwhile, to further choke Rajasthan Royals in the death overs, KKR youngster Kartik Tyagi bowled a sensational 19th over, where he picked up 3 wickets and conceded just 2 runs.

It started with the big breakthrough of Ravindra Jadeja, who tried to take on a short ball but mistimed the pull straight to the deep. 

Then came Shimron Hetmyer. A low full-toss on the pads, and instead of capitalising, he closed the bat face too early and chipped a simple catch.

Tyagi then nailed a wide yorker plan against the tail, removing Ravi Bishnoi, who edged behind trying to steer it to third man.

Rajasthan Royals finish with a below-par score

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals completely wasted a strong start as they finished with 155/9 at the end of the first 20 overs. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had stitched an 81-run partnership.

However, the middle and death overs were completely dominated by KKR. Varun Chakaravarthy broke RR’s spine with a three-wicket-haul before Kartik Tyagi hit the final blow with a 3-wicket over. 

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Sunil Narine also chipped in with 2 wickets to help KKR recover brilliantly. For Rajasthan, Riyal Parag and Shimron Hetmyer failed miserably, batting at a strike rate of below 90. 

That being said, the total is definitely below par, and it will require a special performance from the RR bowling unit to make a game out of it.

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