Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag returned to form in Match 43 of the Indian Premier League 2026. Playing against the Delhi Capitals, he posted his first fifty of the 19th season of the tournament. He has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The young batter was seen vaping in the dressing room during the contest against the Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh.

The fans slammed him as e-cigarettes and vapes are banned in India, and the use of these items could lead to fines and imprisonment. The BCCI took note of his act and fined him 25 percent of his match fee.

It could have impacted his confidence, but the batter didn’t allow the controversy to get the better of him and played his first impactful knock since becoming a regular captain. When he arrived in the middle after the dismissal of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, DC were dominating the proceedings with Mitchell Starc and Kyle Jamieson on fire.

Parag didn’t let the bowlers stop the run flow, amassing 90 runs off 50 balls.

He added 102 runs with the wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel, who accumulated 30-ball 42, including 4 boundaries and a maximum. Parag stitched a stand of 53 runs with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who managed 20 runs off 14 deliveries, packed with 1 four and 1 six.

Riyan was sent back by Starc, who is playing his first IPL 2026 game after recovering from his injury. The veteran pacer claimed three scalps and conceded 40 runs from his four overs.