IPL 2026: Riyan Parag says RR batters were ‘surprised’ by the pace of the ball after 57-run defeat to SRH

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag said his team’s first Indian Premier League (IPL) defeat of the season was caused by a combination of factors, including his usually explosive batters’ inability to read the pace of the deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

After an underwhelming display with the ball, it was a rare collective failure of Rajasthan’s explosive top order, comprising Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel, as SRH handed the Royals a 57-run hammering in Hyderabad on Monday.

“I think it was a mix of everything. I felt we were a little surprised by what the pace of the ball was when it left the hand and how it came off the wicket,” Parag said at the post-match press conference.

“…I think Vaibhav expected it a little quicker, came a little stickier. Same for Dhruv, nipped back in. Jaiswal, he hits that 9 out of 10 times, and that stopped. I got a really full ball, I couldn’t hit that. I won’t say we were unlucky, but then it was a mix of a lot of variables that came into play, hence we couldn’t connect those shots,” he added.

Parag, who has taken over the RR captaincy this season, felt the bowlers also came up short in execution despite having the required quality.

“Initially, I think we were okay, but then in the middle overs, they were 30 runs over for sure. I think we could have found better options, used the wicket a little bit more, used more slower balls, maybe slower bouncers, wide yorkers or whatever it is. But I think just the execution lacked a bit, nothing about the quality of our bowlers. I don’t doubt that at any time,” he added.

Parag was full of praise for teenage sensation Suryavanshi, backing the youngster to go a long way.

“In 10 years, he’s going to be my age, so I don’t know how to look that far up ahead, but as far as now is concerned, I hope he is in a really good mental state. (He should) just win more games, bat as flamboyantly as he has been doing throughout the four or five games, whatever it is, and win us a title, and hopefully he plays for India very soon.”

Suryanvanshi, who made his IPL debut last year, has played 12 matches in the league across two seasons.

“I feel one thing you gain every time you step onto a cricket field is experience, and regardless of his age, he might be 15 years old, but he has gained a lot of experience playing last year. From the sidelines, you do gain a little bit of experience, you do understand how the game works, how IPL works, but then him having played seven games and then keeping that momentum, playing the World Cup (Under-19), Asia Cups (age-group), and he’s scored runs everywhere he’s gone. I think he has earned a lot of experience from those games, being in match situations, winning games, scoring a lot of runs, big runs, like daddy hundreds.”

Published on Apr 14, 2026