Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara has conceded that the recent controversies around the team were not a positive reflection of the team but said that the players are always reminded that “they’re responsible to the franchise.”
The recent controversy out of the two so far in IPL 2026 was when their captain Riyan Parag was caught vaping in the dressing room during the game against Punjab Kings this week. Parag was fined 25% of his match fee and handed one demerit point.
Earlier in the season, the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit imposed a fine of INR 1 lakh on RR’s manager Ravinder Singh Bhinder, after he was spotted using his mobile phone in the team’s dugout area, during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10 in Guwahati.
“I think it is, of course, a reflection that is not positive on the team, a controversy of any kind,” Sangakkara said in Jaipur on Thursday, a day before their clash against Delhi Capitals. “All I can say is that both those have been addressed by the BCCI and the franchise. And then in terms of the culture, we always try to have a very positive healthy culture. We have our own values we adhere to. And the constant reminder to the players is to make sure they’re responsible to the franchise and to our culture and our values.”
RR are currently placed fourth on the points table but questions around Parag’s form have been getting louder, now that they have played nine of their 14 league games. Parag has so far scored just 117 runs in nine innings to average an unimpressive 14.62 while striking at 124.46. His most recent score of 29 – in the same match against PBKS – was his highest. He hit two fours and two sixes in his 16-ball knock to help RR chase down 223, although it was the fourth-wicket partnership of Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey that sealed the game for them.
Sangakkara was all praise for Parag’s captaincy and advised him to enjoy his batting and segregate it from his captaincy.
“I think he’s done really well as a captain,” he said. “And also in the last game, his little innings is what really shifted the momentum our way. He was fearless, he went out there in tough conditions and really brought the [required] rate and momentum back in our favour. Those are the impactful innings that I want to see from Riyan. His skill with the bat is not questionable at all. And sometimes it takes a while as a batter to get in. So all I want to do is enjoy his batting and you can’t bat like a captain. You have to bat like Riyan Parag, the batter, and you’re only captaining when you’re fielding. So that separation of roles and to go and bat without any pressure, any expectations, and do what the side requires is what he’s concentrating on, and he showed good signs in the last game.”
RR have currently won six wins from nine games this season. They next take on Delhi Capitals at home, in Jaipur, on May 1.
