Riyan Parag vindicated Rajasthan Royals’ trust in him as he led the side to their maiden win of IPL 2025 during Sanju Samson’s absence. Leading RR in his home town Guwahati, Parag led his team to a nerve-wracking six-run triumph against Chennai Super Kings in a high-pressure game.
Rajathan Royals Defeat Chennai Super Kings
Batting first, Rajasthan posted a tough total of 183, and CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad batted till the end, scoring a well-built 63 off 44 balls. His resistance came to an end in the 16th over when Wanindu Hasaranga got rid of him on the fifth ball, leaving CSK reeling at 129/5. The entry of MS Dhoni charged up the crowd with Ravindra Jadeja (13*) alongside him but still they couldn’t lead CSK towards a win.
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First Win For RR Captain Riyan Parag
“Took a lot of time, just two games, but felt really long. We still think we were 20 short. We lost a couple of wickets quickly (in the middle overs). But we bowled really well. We have had two tough games, but the chat was to forget those games, come with a fresh mindset and have a good game collectively. (On Archer not bowling out) Just assessing the situation, luckily had seven options. Went with the gut feeling. Fielding always makes up for the runs we were short. We are working a lot with Dishant Yagnik, our fielding coach, and it is paying off.” said Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag
CSK’s Batting Collapse
CSK batted carefully, scoring just six runs off the 18th over against Maheesh Theekshana before accelerating in the last overs. Most people thought Parag would use Jofra Archer to seal the game, but he went for former CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande instead. Although it appeared to be a gamble initially, Parag was true to his instincts. He then entrusted the last over to Sandeep Sharma, a seasoned death-over specialist who had also performed under pressure earlier, most notably in IPL 2023 when he had defended three runs against Dhoni. With his skill of being able to change the pace and keep the batter guessing, Sandeep again kept his cool, delivering the victory for Rajasthan.
