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Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag has found himself in another social media controversy after a video from the team hotel went viral online. The incident happened after the Rajasthan Royals’ crushing five-wicket loss to the Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 17.
Parag has smashed a brilliant fifty, but the middle-order batting failure cost them in a big way. The Rajasthan Royals could manage 198/3 on the board, but the Delhi Capitals pulled off the chase in the final over with five wickets in hand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.
Riyan Parag pushes away a young fan following RR defeat vs DC in IPL 2026
This defeat has almost ended the RR’s hopes of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs, as they have now only 12 points and two more games left to make any impact. Well, it was already a tough night for Rajasthan Royals and their young captain Riyan Parag.
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But things became even worse when a video showed Parag reacting angrily to a young fan who came near him for a photograph and autograph at the team hotel. In the viral clip, the kid walked towards Parag hoping to click a picture with the RR skipper.
However, Parag looked visibly upset and irritated at that moment. As the child came close, the RR captain kept him aside by himself and asked him to move away while walking in a hurry.
Look, a small kid came to take a picture with Riyan Parag at the team hotel, but he angrily scolded him and told him to move away saying “hat.”🙂 pic.twitter.com/N9CVsVzUSt
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) May 18, 2026
The reaction triggered heavy criticism on social media, with many fans expressing disappointment over the way the youngster was treated, while some felt the parents should not let their kids breach the cricketers’ privacy.
Sunil Gavaskar fumes at Riyan Parag after RR’s shocking bowling gamble against DC
Notably, Rajasthan Royals were still in a strong position while defending 193 runs, but then captain Riyan Parag made a surprising decision that changed the match completely. With Delhi Capitals needing 35 runs in the last three overs, Parag gave the ball to part-time spinner Donovan Ferreira for the 18th over.
The move went badly wrong as Ferreira gave away 16 runs in the over, including two huge sixes. That over completely shifted the momentum towards the Delhi Capitals, and the former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed the RR skipper for this massive blunder.
It was a suicidal move: Sunil Gavaskar on Donovan Ferreira bowling 18th over
Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports: “Handing the ball to Donovan Ferreira to bowl the 18th over was a suicidal move. You are bringing a slow bowler on a pitch offering him no help. He was just bowling in the slot. It was his first over of the match. He had also scored a golden duck with the bat. Sometimes you must look at where the luck is going that day.”
He added, “If he had scored 40 or 50 runs and was high on confidence, giving him an over would have made sense. But he got out on the first ball, and you still gave him the ball. He went for 16 runs in that over, and the match was gone. Done and dusted.
Riyan Parag could have handed the ball to a proper bowler, a regular bowler. Even if that bowler gave away 20 runs, that’s not the point. The point is that at that crucial stage, giving the ball to Donovan Ferreira was a suicidal decision by the Rajasthan Royals.”
