Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag said he was not ‘supposed to play another game’ in IPL 2026 because he’s ‘definitely not fit’ after the franchise beat the Mumbai Indians by 30 runs to qualify for the playoffs. Parag said him playing against MI was only down to his ‘mental toughness’.
“I’m definitely not fit,” Parag said after the match. “All of this was mental toughness. I was not supposed to play today. I was not supposed to play another game.”
Parag has missed two games — against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) — in IPL 2026 already due to a hamstring injury. Yashasvi Jaiswal has captained the team in his absence.
Hamstring issues, depending on their grades, can take from a few days to many months to heal.
RR have not confirmed the exact nature and severity of the injury at any stage — when Parag missed the RCB match and came back for the next, it seemed like he had a low grade issue but his latest comments suggest otherwise.
‘I have taken a lot of brave calls’: Riyan Parag
Parag was full of self-praise after the match, saying he had taken a ‘lot of brave calls’ because it’s his leadership style.
“I have taken a lot of brave calls actually, this season,” Parag said. “That’s how I like to lead. That’s how I lead Assam as well. You got to take your chances, it’s not a gamble. Of course, you think about it a lot. {It is] Instincts [over numbers] always. It’s tough but all the credit to them (Brijesh Sharma and Yash Raj Punja). I don’t usually praise them so they don’t get all bloated and stuff. But after tonight I think they deserve it… We should’ve qualified way earlier. Left it a little too late. Left a lot on the table. We’re picking up the slack three games in a row. Hopefully we learn from all our mistakes and put up a better show,” he added.
