IPL 2023: How long before Rajasthan Royals look beyond Riyan Parag? | Cricket News – Times of India

JAIPUR: In his fifth year in the IPL, having made his debut in 2019, Riyan Parag has become a permanent member of the Rajasthan Royals playing XI. But his numbers fail to justify his selection, which has been criticized by experts and fans alike, who are increasingly questioning his place in the side.
The Assam all-rounder has been unable to deliver at the big stage despite constant backing from Royals management. His unflattering IPL ledger reads- an average of 16.46 and a strike rate of 123.61 in 52 matches.
As a middle-order batter, Riyan is expected to accelerate the strike rate and on occasions to play the role of a finisher. But he has struggled to play his part.
In the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Riyan scored 4 runs off the first 8 balls he faced while the required run rate was above 10. Former India player and coach Ravi Shastri questioned his approach and told Star Sports, 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.”
Singles were being scored and there was a 28-ball patch at that stage when no boundary was scored. “When you go through that much time without a boundary, you are asking for trouble,” Shastri added.

This was not a one-off instance, but the latest in a series of failures. “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.
Talking about the task assigned to him by the management, Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara pointed out after Royals’ game against LSG: “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.”
Moreover, his contribution with the ball is also quite unimpressive. He has taken four wickets at an economy of 10.70 in 52 IPL games. So far this year, with Royals top five bowlers doing exceptionally well, Riyan has not been used at all in the capacity of a leg-break bowler.

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The other options which can be explored are Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Vashisht and Abdul Basith. Who knows taking a gamble on these youngsters might work in the Royals’ favour.
Royals have some work to do now – they need to look for better options in the middle-order.