Skipper riyan parag

Skipper Riyan Parag: Rajasthan Royals' captain Riyan Parag led with a gritty and commanding knock, helping his team post a competitive total of 225/6 in 20 overs despite Delhi Capitals regaining crucial momentum thanks to a late burst from Mitchell Starc in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday.

The highly anticipated contest began with an unexpected twist. While everyone expected a showdown between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Starc, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who stole the spotlight first. He hit Starc for a six on the very first ball he faced, but fell two balls later to a high full toss, lobbing a simple return catch. RR found themselves rocked early at 6 for 1 in 0.3 overs. Things got worse when Sooryavanshi, undone by a precise yorker, was bowled by Kyle Jamieson for 12, leaving them at 12 for 2 in 1.5 overs.

With the top order shaken, Parag started to rebuild alongside Dhruv Jurel. Despite concerns about Jurel’s strike rate of 150.86 at No. 3, the pair steadied RR. They reached 56 for 2 at the end of the Power-play. Delhi Capitals tightened their grip immediately after, with Kuldeep Yadav delivering a solid spell. Axar Patel also recovered well after a rough start, limiting RR to 91 for 2 in 10 overs.