Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag expressed deep disappointment after his side suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Delhi Capitals in Match 62 of IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. The defeat dealt a major blow to Rajasthan’s playoff hopes, while Delhi stayed alive in the race for a top-four finish.
RR looked in control for large parts of the contest, especially during the first innings, but failed to finish strongly with the bat and later struggled badly with both the ball and in the field. Following the match, Parag admitted that his side fell short in almost every department and said the performance was simply not good enough for a team aiming to qualify for the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals fail to capitalise after strong start
After being asked to bat first, Rajasthan Royals got off to a blazing start thanks to young opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed a quickfire 46 and put the Delhi bowlers under pressure early on. The momentum continued through the middle overs with impressive half-centuries from Dhruv Jurel and Parag himself.
Jurel played a composed knock of 53, while Parag added 51 runs and looked set to guide RR towards a massive total. At one stage, Rajasthan appeared destined to cross the 220-run mark comfortably. However, things changed dramatically in the death overs as veteran Australian pacer Mitchell Starc turned the game around with a sensational spell.
Starc picked up four wickets and triggered a collapse that prevented RR from fully cashing in on their strong platform. Rajasthan eventually finished with 193/8, a total Parag later admitted was well below expectations.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, the RR skipper said his side was in a very good position after 14 overs but failed to maximise the advantage after his dismissal. According to Parag, Rajasthan should have finished with a score in the range of 220 to 230.
“We were in a pretty good space after 14 overs. After I got out, we didn’t capitalise on that. It was… It had to be 220-230, something like that,” said Parag.
Delhi Capitals dominate chase with confident batting
Chasing 194, Delhi Capitals began aggressively and never allowed Rajasthan to settle into the contest. Abishek Porel and KL Rahul stitched together a brilliant 105-run opening partnership that laid the foundation for the successful chase. Porel scored a fluent 51, while Rahul anchored the innings with a classy 56. RR bowlers Jofra Archer and Brijesh Sharma managed to create some pressure during the middle overs, but Delhi remained calm in the closing stages.
The finishing blow came from Ashutosh Sharma, who produced a stunning cameo of 18 not out off just five balls. He sealed the match in style with a towering six in the final over as DC reached 197/5 with four balls remaining.
Riyan Parag opens up on reasons behind RR’s defeat
Parag did not shy away from criticising his team’s overall execution. The RR captain admitted the bowling unit was “not up to the mark” and also defended the tactical decision to use Donovan Ferreira against two left-handers during the chase.
“And as far as the bowling is concerned, I think we were just weren’t there. We weren’t up to the mark. Ferreira wasn’t a gamble. I know on TV it looks like a gamble, but then you’ve got two left-handers. I’d rather bowl Donovan, take a chance, than get Shanaka to bowl another over. Didn’t really work out,” explained Parag.
However, it was Rajasthan’s fielding that frustrated him the most. Parag described the fielding display as “very poor” and stressed that championship-winning teams cannot afford such sloppy performances in crucial games.
“Very poor. I feel if you want to win a trophy, if you want to be contending every single year, you’ve got to be better than what we’ve done today,” added the RR skipper.
He further added that Rajasthan Royals have failed to play to their potential over the last few matches and said the team only had itself to blame if it eventually missed out on a playoff spot. Parag also made it clear that he does not want RR relying on other teams’ results to stay alive in the tournament.
“If we keep on playing like this, we shouldn’t be in contention for the top 4. That is not how I like to lead. That is not how I like to speak to my team as well. That, oh, we need these guys to keep on losing so we can win two games. We’ve had the opportunity, we’ve not taken it. So if we do not qualify, it’s our fault. No-one else’s,” Parag signed off.
Also WATCH: IPL 2026 – Axar Patel’s spectacular diving catch removes Riyan Parag during DC vs RR showdown
