New Delhi: Former India captain Kris Srikkanth lashed out at Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag after his side’s 57-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday. Questioning Parag’s performances and leadership credentials, Srikkanth said the RR captain is only about style and has not done anything for his team this season.
Rajasthan Royals saw their three-match winning streak come to an end in the IPL 2026 on Monday following a crushing defeat against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Debutant pacers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain shone for SRH to help them comfortably defend the total of 216 runs by skittling out RR for 159 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
RR skipper Parag was dismissed cheaply on 4 off 6 balls during his side’s run chase following a top-order collapse. Srikanth called out the batter for his consistent failures, stating that he is only about style and no substance. The former India chief selector also criticised Parag’s captaincy decisions, slamming his usage of his bowlers, arguing why Ravindra Jadeja was underutilised in the game.
“He’s only there for style. As usual, he came out to bat, got out early, spoke in the presentation ceremony and went. It’s all about style for him. He has not done anything else,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube show.
“You ask him why he (Parag) didn’t bowl Ravindra Jadeja and he says, they targeted Ravi Bishnoi and there was a left-hander in the middle. Is there some rule that a left-arm spinner can’t bowl to a left-hander? It’s absurd,” he added.
To the surprise of many, Jadeja didn’t bowl a single over during SRH’s innings in the match. With SRH skipper Ishan Kishan going all guns blazing in the middle, Parag said he decided not to bring in Jadeja to avoid a left-arm spinner bowling against a left-hander. However, the move didn’t help much as Kishan’s blistering 91 off 44 powered SRH to a strong total of 216/5.
Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain help SRH thrash RR
Debutants Hinge and Hussain starred with the ball to help Sunrisers Hyderabad thrash Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs to bag their second win in the IPL 2026. Hinge bowled a sensational opening over, picking up three wickets, including the prized scalp of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, to decimate RR’s top order in the run chase.
He finished with a four-wicket haul to bag the Player of the Match award on his debut. Hussian too bagged a four-wicket haul in his IPL debut as he combined with Hinge to run through the RR batting line-up. The debutant pacers combined to skittle out RR for 159 runs to secure a thumping win for SRH after two defeats in a row.