Rajasthan Royals (RR) undefeated run IPL 2026 as it stopped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) A convincing 57-run victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. While the result itself was the main topic of discussion, one decision by RR captain Riyan Parag left fans and pundits baffled – why did it happen? Ravindra Jadeja the ball was not given even once?
Riyan Parag explains Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling as RR suffer first defeat in IPL 2026
With SRH amassing a massive 216 off the board, many expected Jadeja to play a role, especially in the middle overs where the pitch started to offer some grip for the slower bowlers. However, the experienced left-arm spinner was not used throughout the innings, raising questions about the team’s bowling strategy.
Addressing the decision after the match, Parag admitted that it was not part of a well-thought-out plan, but rather a snap call made in the heat of the moment. “Jaddu bhai, I don’t know, it was just a split second,” said Parag. “Ishan (Kishan) was batting really well so I didn’t want to take that chance.”
The young skipper noted that there was some early relief for the seamers with the new ball on the pitch and that affected his decision-making. RR struggled to maintain their scoring rate as SRH captain Ishan Kishan managed 91 to 44 balls, aided by Heinrich Klaasen’s aggressive 40.
Parag chose to rely heavily on their pace attack and even outdid themselves conceding 10 runs. However, Jadeja’s lack of control and experience allowed SRH to maintain their momentum and get a hard-fought result.
Also WATCH: Praful Hinge removes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius for ducks in his first over
Despite Jadeja’s struggles with the bat, criticism is mounting
The decision to keep Jadeja out of the bowling attack did not go down well with many in the cricket fraternity. Former Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth was particularly critical and questioned the logic behind the move.
“He’s only there for style. As usual, he did nothing with the bat and spoke in the post-match presentation. He doesn’t wave at Jadeja and then explains that the left-armer is playing. Is there a rule that a left-arm spinner can’t bowl to a left-armer? It’s absurd,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Parag himself had a disappointing outing with the bat, scoring just 4 runs off 6 balls as RR’s chase collapsed early. Down 5-for-9 in the first three innings, the Kings were out of contention until they couldn’t score.
Amid the chaos, Jadeja stepped up with the bat and showed his worth to the team. At a critical juncture, he struck 45 off 32 balls and put together a remarkable 118-run partnership with Donovan Ferreira, who scored 69 off 44 overs.
Their effort helped RR gain some respectability, but the damage done by SRH’s bowlers – especially debutant Praful Hinge (4/34) and Sakib Hussain (4/24) – proved too much to recover from. Rajasthan eventually fell short, registering their first defeat of the season.
Despite the defeat, RR continue to be at the top of the points table with 8 points from 5 matches. SRH, on the other hand, moved up to fourth place after registering their second win of the campaign.
Also READ: Praful Hinge reveals strategy to dismiss Vaibhav Suryavanshi for a duck in SRH vs RR IPL 2026
