Riyan Parag was an immature brat before? Kumar Sangakkara's latest revelation on Rajasthan Royals' all-rounder

Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, recently revealed the reason behind all-rounder Riyan Parag’s promotion in the batting order. Kumar Sangakkara stated that Riyan Parag has the potential to play a more significant role in the IPL 2024 team.

Riyan Parag had a disappointing IPL 2023 season where he scored only 78 runs in seven innings. The young batter scored 183 runs in 2022 and 93 runs in 2021. The Rajasthan Royals team chose to retain him ahead of the IPL 2024 auction despite his poor outings.

It Was A Cricketing Decision – Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara explained that promoting Riyan Parag in the batting order was a strategic cricketing decision based on his consistent performance over the years. Sangakkara highlighted Parag’s impressive performance in domestic cricket before the IPL season.

“It was a cricketing decision. We looked at how he has performed over the years. It is a very difficult thing for someone like Riyan, who has an overall game, just to always only get the toughest parts of the game where he has to come in and up the run rate at the death overs,” Sangakkara said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“We all felt that he has a much more important role that he can play for us. And the hard work that he did leading up to the season, all the runs he scored at domestic cricket, all played a part in that decision,” he added.

Riyan Parag previously struggled to excel in the finisher’s role for the Royals in the IPL. The batter was promoted to bat at No. 4 in the team’s recent match against the Lucknow Super Giants. He repaid the team management’s faith by making a significant contribution.

The 22-year-old batter entered the crease when the team was in a spot of bother at 49/2. Parag added 97 runs off 59 deliveries with skipper Sanju Samson to stabilize the innings. He scored 43 runs off 29 deliveries, including a boundary and three maximums.

Riyan Parag Has To Repay That Faith – Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara acknowledged Riyan’s promising start and urged him to maintain his confidence. Sangakkara highlighted Riyan’s strength against pace, making him well-suited for the crucial role in the batting order.

“Riyan, and all the players, of course, have to repay that faith. He’s off to a great start. He just has to keep working on making sure he reads the game well and keep trusting what he can do at No. 4. He’s good against pace and again so that important position of four was ideally suited for him,” Sangakkara further stated. 

During the Deodhar Trophy 2023, Riyan Parag emerged as the highest run scorer, leading six-hitter, and joint third-highest wicket-taker. The right-handed batter achieved two List A centuries during the event, earning him the Player of the Tournament title.

Parag continued to shine at the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, amassing 510 runs in ten innings with a striking rate of 182.79. His remarkable feat of scoring seven consecutive half-centuries earned him recognition from the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy.

The Jaipur-based franchise will take on the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their next match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday, March 28.

Also read: IPL 2024: “I’m Going To Play For Country…” – Riyan Parag Reflects On His India Non-Selection