Since his debut in the Indian Premier League as a 17-year-old back in 2019, Riyan Parag has consistently made headlines, albeit sometimes for undesirable reasons. Despite scrutiny from certain quarters of the mainstream media regarding the value of investing in the Assamese cricketer, he has unfortunately also become a target for malicious trolling on social media platforms.
In the 17th edition of the IPL, which arrived in 2024, Parag emerged as the standout figure. A strategic decision to promote him to No. 4 in the batting order proved to be a stroke of genius, as Parag displayed his batting prowess on April 1 at the Wankhede Stadium by scoring an unbeaten fifty, his second consecutive half-century, steering Rajasthan Royals to victory against Mumbai Indians.
Following the game, Rajasthan Royals’ bowling coach Shane Bond lavished praise on Parag, drawing comparisons to Suryakumar Yadav, who made a similar impact when he joined Mumbai Indians in 2018. “He sort of reminds me of Surya (Suryakumar Yadav),” Bond remarked. “He looks like that — he has extreme talent. He has just matured as a cricketer, even though he is only 22.”
“He has had an exceptional domestic season, notably batting higher up the order. The strategic trade we executed, bringing in Avesh Khan by exchanging Devdutt Padikkal, was aimed at providing Parag with a more suitable batting position.”
The decision to transition Parag from a finisher’s role has already shown promising results early in the tournament.
“We are now witnessing his full potential. Rajasthan Royals’ investment in him is beginning to yield significant returns. It’s quite thrilling to anticipate what he could contribute for the remainder of the season,” expressed Bond.
With a prosperous start to the new financial year, the Royals are optimistic about Parag’s continued bullish form over the next eight weeks.
