Riyan Parag has said he was managing a ‘lot of stress’ at Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, amid rumors of rifts and factionalism in the team dressing room. The Assam all-rounder made the remark on the sidelines
of the Duleep Trophy while speaking about his recovery from a shoulder injury.
Parag captained in eight games in the season, winning only two. He was picked as an interim leader in games that Sanju Samson was not able to play, or was only used as an Impact Player due to injuries. The shoulder injury is said to have affected his game in the season, too, while he didn’t play much between the league and the Duleep Trophy.
Captaining East Zone here, he scored 39 in their only innings and bowled 22 overs for one wicket (Yash Dhull) as North Zone won the four-day clash by virtue of a huge first innings lead.
“Since the IPL, I haven’t really played any cricket,” Parag said after the game, as quoted by PTI. “[In the] IPL also, I was managing a lot of stress and stuff like that. But this was a good outing. Not in a good way with the amount of overs we fielded. But then, rolled my arm for a few overs, batted for a while. I could have converted it for a bigger score, but I’m happy. The arm also feels much better,” he added.
While he has plied his trade in Bengaluru, the rumor mill has erupted off the field. After Rahul Dravid’s unexpected exit from the head coach role, reports have claimed that he was against RR appointing Parag, a youngster the franchise has been grooming for years, as the captain in Samson’s absence.
Speaking about the game, Parag said he was more focused on having fun than the performances.
“The match felt good. I mean, that was the main goal when I came here to play the game. Performances, I didn’t really focus on it that much. I just wanted to have some fun. I haven’t played competitive cricket in a long time,” he said.
Speaking about his future, he added, “I think it’s back to basics now. I took a break for the shoulder and stuff like that happened. Ranji is coming in, then the Australia tour is coming in (in October). If I get selected there, I do that. Otherwise, I will go back to domestic cricket and do what I’ve been doing for the last 2-3 years. Be top scoring every single game, and have a good IPL and play for the country again.”
