3 reasons why RR must drop Riyan Parag after loss against LSG in IPL 2023

Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag was unbeaten on 15 off 12 balls in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 19.

RR were chasing a gettable 155 for victory but went down by 10 runs as they were held to 144/6.

Rajasthan Royals’ chase got off to an impressive start as their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (44 off 35) and Jos Buttler (40 off 41) added 87 in 11.3 overs. However, once the partnership was separated, RR lost their way. Skipper Sanju Samson was run-out for two, while the law of average caught up with Shimron Hetmyer as he also fell cheaply.

Impact Player Devdutt Padikkal contributed 26 off 21 while Parag also hit a four and six towards the end. However, it wasn’t enough as Rajasthan’s three-match winning streak came to an end.

Parag has been drawing a lot of flak for his slow start during his innings on Wednesday when big hits were the need of the hour. We analyze three reasons why RR must drop the 21-year-old after their loss to LSG.

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#1 Parag has not looked in any sort of form at all

The 21-year-old was unbeaten on 15 off 12 against LSG. (Pic: iplt20.com)

Rajasthan have had an impressive IPL 2023 campaign so far, which has somewhat dwarfed Parag’s poor form with the willow. In five matches, he has registered scores of seven, 20, seven, five, and 15*. The right-handed batter has just not looked in any sort of form in the tournament.

His struggles were evident during the clash against LSG. Even as Padikkal was getting the big hits at one end, Parag crawled to three off seven balls and later to 11 off 10 deliveries.

His slow innings derailed whatever momentum Padikkal had managed to achieve at the other end. While it would be unfair to blame Parag for the defeat, it is equally true that he did play a big role in Rajasthan’s downfall in the match.

Speaking at a post-match conference, RR head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara admitted that Parag is struggling for form. He commented:

“He’s (Parag) been batting well in the nets. We do back our players quite well, especially when he comes in as an impact sub for us or DDP (Devdutt Padikkal) comes in as an impact substitute, looking at the local talent that we have. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been in good form. We will assess that and address that at his training and see where we get to over the next few games.”

Clearly, Parag needs to do some work on his batting going forward in the competition.

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#2 Parag has been given more than enough chances

Rashid Khan celebrates after dismissing the RR batter. (Pic: iplt20.com)

The bizarre aspect of Parag’s stint with the Rajasthan Royals is that the young Assam batter has been backed season-after-season, but has failed to deliver. He made his debut in the 2019 IPL season and has been with the Royals ever since.

Playing in his fifth IPL season, Parag has so far featured in 52 matches in the T20 league, scoring 576 runs at an average of 16.46 and a strike rate of 123.61. There has not been a single IPL season in which he has scored 200 runs.

He kicked off his IPL career with 160 runs in seven matches during the 2019 edition. In 2020, he scored 86 runs at an average of 12.28 and a strike rate of 111.68. In 2021, he managed 93 runs at an average of 11.62 and a strike rate of 112.04.

Even if one gives him some leeway considering that he comes into bat lower in the order more often than not, his strike rate of 123.61 is well below acceptable standards. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that few players in the IPL have been given as many opportunities as Parag to make an impact.

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#3 RR have an opportunity to try someone else in the middle order

The Assam batter has an average of 16.46 in the IPL. (Pic: iplt20.com)

Having given Parag innumerable chances, Rajasthan would do well to try out some of the other Indian batters in the team.

They have Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Akash Vasisht, who has scored 1306 runs in 28 first-class matches, in their ranks. He has a strike rate of 146.36 in 17 T20 games.

Kerala all-rounder Abdul Basith is another option in the RR camp. He has a strike rate of 149.31 from eight T20 matches. Also, Rajasthan’s keeper-batter Kunal Singh Rathore has played seven T20 games and has a strike rate of 128.94.

In Parag’s absence, RR could also look to push Dhruv Jurel, who has already made an impact with his clean hitting, up the order.