New Delhi: Inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Rajasthan Royals missed out on winning their second IPL title in the IPL 2022 final at the world’s largest stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Rajasthan Royals performed very well throughout the season but lost by 7 wickets in the final against Gujarat Titans. Many players played an important role in journey of Rajasthan Royals to help them reach the final of IPL 2022. One among these players was Assam-born Riyan Parag. The all-rounder didn’t get too many chances but still completed 17 catches in IPL 2022.
Riyan Parag scored 183 runs in 14 IPL matches. His most memorable innings this year came against Royal Challengers Bangalore. In that match, he helped Rajasthan take Bangalore to a respectable score by scoring an unbeaten 56 runs off 31 balls. His knock came at a time when Rajasthan was struggling to win the match.
However, after Riyan’s innings, there was a tussle between him and RCB players. In the 20th over of Rajasthan’s innings, which was bowled by Harshal Patel, Parag scored 18 runs.
Riyan Parag hit Harshal for a six off the last ball of the innings after which he started going towards the dugout, but for some reason, Harshal Patel and Riyan Parag exchanged a few words. A member of Rajasthan Royals’ support staff intervened, after which the matter was settled.
Riyan has now spoken openly about this incident. ” Last year, Harshal Patel had dismissed me when we were playing against RCB. I was walking back. Then, he made a hand gesture telling me to go away. I didn’t see that on the spot. I saw that when I went back to the hotel and saw the replay. It stuck in my mind since,” Parag recalled as he recalled the incident during a gaming stream on Rooter.
“Now, when I hit him (Harshal) in the last over (against RCB in IPL 2022), I did the same gesture. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t abuse. But then, Siraj called me. Harshal didn’t say anything.
“When the innings ended, Siraj called and said, “Hey, come here, come here’. He said, ‘you’re a kid, behave like a kid’. I told him, ‘bhaiya, I’m not saying anything to you’. By then, players from both the teams came and it ended there. Later, Harshal didn’t shake my hand. which I thought was a little immature,” Parag further said.