Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag laid blame directly on shaky fielding following their defeat by five wickets to Sunrisers Hyderabad. A match filled with runs saw Rajasthan set down 228 for six, lifted by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tearing into the bowling with a 37-ball 103, only the third time someone has reached a hundred so fast in IPL play. Still, none of it mattered once missed opportunities in the outfield let Hyderabad chase it smoothly, finishing with nine balls unused.

It wasn’t enough, Riyan Parag confessed, even though parts of their game clicked.

“We could have been better on the field” – Honest admission from Riyan Parag

Abhishek Sharma slipped through two catches before finding his rhythm with a smooth 57. A sharp partnership of 132 followed, built alongside Ishan Kishan, who pushed through with a solid 74 that tipped the game. Early on, Nitish Kumar Reddy stayed after being handed an escape, then piled up 36 vital runs.

RR skipper thought they didn’t squeeze enough from their batting effort. Noticing how Hyderabad nailed their late-over lines, especially those 18th and 19th ones, he figured another ten or fifteen on the board might’ve shifted things. Even after falling short, Riyan Parag tipped his cap to Jofra Archer, whose sharp burst brought 2/34. Yet gaps crept in, bad bounces here, dropped moments there, that quietly chipped away at what could’ve been.

Ishan Kishan, earning Man of the Match, stayed calm even after taking a blow to the head from Archer at the start. Because of steady talks with Sharma, he felt locked in, especially during the fast-scoring opening overs. Then again, Pat Cummins, leading Hyderabad, seemed pleased to be back, his long career smoothing the way into match rhythm right away, though this marked his debut appearance this year.