After all the backing he has received from the team management over the years, this has been a season of repaying that faith as Riyan Parag continued his good run in IPL 2024. And the success Riyan Parag has experienced so far was a result of simplifying things and replicating what he has been doing well in domestic cricket.
On a Wankhede wicket that had a lot of help for the bowlers, Rajasthan Royals lost Yashaswi Jaiswal early in the chase and then Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler got out in quick succession to leave the team at 48/3 in a chase of 126. Although the target was not that big, there was an avenue for MI to exploit but Riyan Parag shut that out with his well-paced innings of 54 not out in 39 deliveries, which included five fours and three sixes. Riyan Parag scored his successive 2nd fifty of IPL and is now tied for the Orange Cap with Virat Kohli.
Disastrous IPL 2023 for Riyan Parag and change in role for the Assamese batter post a stellar domestic season
Riyan Parag, who started his IPL journey in 2019, began in a promising fashion as he scored 160 runs in five innings, at an average of 32, in his maiden season. But the subsequent editions did not turn out so well for him, with the batter crossing 100 just once in four editions and ending up with averages of below 20 in each. But this season he has finally hit the straps.
With 181 runs in three innings, including two half-centuries, Riyan Parag is the orange cap holder. This form is an extension of his prolific form in domestic cricket where he scored 510 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 85 and a strike rate of 182.79 followed by 378 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 75.60. In the 16 innings that he played in both the formats combined, he scored two centuries and eight half-centuries.
In IPL 2023, Riyan Parag mustered just 78 runs across seven innings at an average of 13. The return was paltry for a team that had splashed ₹3.8 crore on buying his services in the auction. This season, he’s on to 127 runs while batting at No. 4. His highest IPL score in Jaipur on Thursday steered RR to 185/5.
The Assam player has shifted roles from finisher to No. 4 batter and comes into the IPL season on the back of scoring runs in the Deodhar trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. In the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was the top scorer with 510 runs from 10 innings at an average of 85 and strike rate of nearly 183. It included a run of seven half-centuries in a row – a T20 record.
Riyan Parag has finally, finally, come of age. The 22-year-old all-rounder from Assam has set the stage on fire in IPL 2024 with back-to-back match-winning knocks for Rajasthan. In RR’s opening game of the season against Lucknow in Jaipur, Riyan played the sidekick to Sanju Samson, stitching a 93-run partnership in their total of 193 on Sunday.
Four days later, it was Riyan’s time to play the lead role in Rajasthan’s 12-run win over Delhi at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Riyan blasted 84 off 45 balls, including 25 runs in the final over bowled by Delhi’s express pacer Anrich Nortje. He helped Rajasthan recover from 36 for 3 to post 185 on the board in 20 overs on a pitch that was not entirely easy for the batters.
Riyan Parag looks like a magically different player. He is composed, he is calm and more mature in terms of his batting and the way he has been sharing his thoughts in IPL 2024. Former Indian cricketer now commentator Aakash Chopra has heaped praises Riyan Parag for his ongoing show in the IPL and wishes that he continues the same.
Commentator Aakash Chopra Hails sensational Riyan Parag post his heroics in IPL 2024.
Cricket expert Aakash Chopra has praised Riyan Parag’s form and he hopes that Rajasthan Royals (RR) give him enough opportunities to capitalize on and make his mark. Riyan Parag did not have an auspicious run in the past few seasons of the tournament and Rajasthan Royals has again retained his services for the IPL 2024 showing faith in the youngster’s ability and Riyan Parag in the first 3 matches has lived up to the faith shown by the team management.
In the video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra picked Riyan Parag as one of the standout performers in the Rajasthan Royal’s win.
“He (Parag) started in Mumbai from where he left off in Jaipur. The six he hit over cover, he is batting incredibly well. I think it was the shot of the match. He showed respect to (Jasprit) Bumrah. He was playing him easily and that shows that he has time. Then he hit a six off Piyush Chawla, which means he is reading spin from the hand,” he elaborated
“Staying till the end and winning his team the match, showed maturity and his batting skill. It’s once again a reinforcement that the kid has put in a lot of effort. Whoever trolled him will now consider him a role model. Whoever made memes will now sing praises in his honor,” the former India opener added.
Riyan Parag walked out to bat when the Rajasthan Royals were reduced to 42/2. Although Jos Buttler was also dismissed with the team score at 48, the Assam youngster added crucial runs with Ravichandran Ashwin and Shubham Dubey to take his team over the line. Rajasthan Royals will now hope that Riyan Parag will continue his rich vein of form in the further matches of IPL as well.