Following Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) eight-wicket loss against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, stand-in captain Riyan Parag acknowledged the team’s shortcomings and emphasized the need for improvement ahead of their next fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Parag on RR’s Performance and Learnings
“170 was going to be a really good score, that’s what we were aiming for. I personally rushed a little bit knowing the wicket here. We fell short by 20 runs,” Parag said at the post-match presentation.
RR, batting first, managed only 151/9 in 20 overs, with Dhruv Jurel (33) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (29) being the top scorers. However, Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 97 off 61 balls made the chase comfortable for KKR.
Parag credited de Kock’s performance and admitted that RR’s plan to dismiss him early didn’t work:
“That was the plan, to get Quinny out early, but that didn’t happen. So, we shifted to containing in the middle overs. He played really well, so kudos to him.”
Adapting to the No. 3 Role
Parag, who batted at No. 3, revealed that he is adjusting to the role based on the team’s needs.
“Last year, the team wanted me to bat No. 4; I was happy to do that. This year, they want me to bat No. 3, so I need to be professional to bat wherever the team wants me to, so I am okay with that.”
Looking Ahead to the CSK Clash
With two back-to-back losses, RR will now shift their focus to their next match against five-time champions CSK. Parag believes that while the young squad has shown promise in phases, they need to deliver a complete performance.
“We have a younger team this year compared to the one last year. It’s just about coming together for a whole match. We are doing very good in small phases. It’s time that we put together a good match and then the results are going to be in our favour. We take the learnings, we take our mistakes, we make sure we don’t repeat them again and come back for Chennai with a fresher mindset.”
Brief Scores:
- Rajasthan Royals: 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29, Varun Chakravarthy 2/17, Moeen Ali 2/23)
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 153/2 in 17.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 97, Angrish Raghuvanshi 22*, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/34)*
RR will now face CSK in their third match of IPL 2025, aiming to bounce back and register their first win of the season.