Former Sri Lankan captain and great now Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara has conceded that the recent controversies around the team were not a positive reflection of the team, but said that the players are always reminded that they’re responsible to the franchise.
The recent controversy that hit the franchise was that their captain, Riyan Parag, was caught vaping in the dressing room during the game against the Punjab Kings this week. Parag was subsequently fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point. Earlier in the season, BCCI’s anti-corruption unit imposed a fine of INR 1 lakh on RR’s manager Ravinder Singh Bhinder, after he was spotted using his mobile phone in the team’s dugout area, during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10th in Guwahati.
Kumar Sangakkara reflects on the recent controversies
Speaking to reporters on Thursday ahead of the RR-DC clash, Kumar Sangakkara said, “I think it is, of course, a reflection that is not positive on the team, a controversy of any kind. All I can say is that both of those have been addressed by the BCCI and the franchise. And then in terms of the culture, we always try to have a very positive, healthy culture. We have our own values we adhere to. And the constant reminder to the players is to make sure they’re responsible to the franchise and to our culture and our values.”Â
RR are currently placed fourth on the points table, but questions around Parag’s form have been getting louder now that they have played nine of their 14 league games. Parag has so far scored 117 runs in nine innings to average an unimpressive 14.62 while striking at 124.46. His most recent score of 29 against PBKS is his highest score so far. He hit two fours and two sixes in his 16-ball knock and helped RR chase down 223. It was the fourth wicket stand between Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey that sealed the deal for the Men in Pink.
Kumar Sangakkara praises Riyan Parag
Kumar Sangakkara was full of praise for Parag’s captaincy and advised him to enjoy his batting and segregate it from his captaincy. He said, “I think he’s done really well as a captain. And also in the last game, his little innings is what really shifted the momentum our way. He was fearless; he went out there in tough conditions and really brought the required rate and momentum back in our favour. Those are the impactful innings that I want to see from Riyan. His skill with the bat is not questionable at all.”Â
Kumar Sangakkara further added, “And sometimes it takes a while as a batter to get in. So, all I want to do is enjoy his batting, and you can’t bat like a captain. You have to bat like Riyan Parag, the batter, and you’re only captaining when you’re fielding. So, that separation of role and to go and bat without any pressure, any expectations, and do what the side requires is what he’s concentrating on, and he showed good signs in the last game.”Â
RR have currently won six games out of nine games this season. They next take on the Delhi Capitals at home, in Jaipur, on May 1st. It remains to be seen whether RR can keep the winning momentum going and go top of the table, or if DC springs a surprise and gets a win which is so desperately needed by them.
The stage is set for the North Indian derby to take shape now as both sides are locked at 15 wins each in 30 games. Which team will come out on top? Only time will tell.
Also Read: RR vs DC: 3 Reasons For RR’s Unimaginable Defeat Against DC