I don't need to answer critics, says Riyan Parag following his first fifty of IPL 2026 in 10 games

Parag slammed his first of IPL 2026 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday in Jaipur. DC snapped their three-match losing streak with a commanding seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Friday.

A blistering 110-run opening stand between KL Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) laid the perfect foundation for a record 226-run chase, which was calmly finished by Tristan Stubbs (18*) and Ashutosh Sharma (25*) with five balls to spare.

Earlier, Riyan Parag led from the front with a superb 90 off 50 balls, his first fifty-plus score of the season, while Donovan Ferreira smashed an unbeaten 47 off just 14 deliveries to power RR to 225/6 after opting to bat.

Parag steadied the innings alongside Dhruv Jurel (42) following early setbacks, before Mitchell Starc (3/40) struck key blows, including the RR skipper's wicket, on his return.

Parag also felt the total was competitive, noting the pitch had slowed and 200 seemed around par, but poor bowling, especially leaking boundaries consistently, cost them the game. He explained that the plan was to hold back hitters like Donovan Ferreira, rotate effectively against spin at around 8-9 runs per over, and then target the pacers later.

"I don't need to answer critics (on his form), but my job is to score runs and get the two points for the team. I think it was a good score. Though 200 was par, the pitch was slowing down, but we bowled badly, conceded boundaries every over and lost a trick or two. With a left-right combination and 8-9 overs remaining, we wanted to delay our hitters (on not sending Donovan Ferraira early), aim for 8-9 runs per over from the spinners and then attack the seamers from the first ball. That was the plan. Hopefully, nothing serious (on his injury), just a tweak on the hamstring, we have a week to recover," Parag said after the match.

Parag was fined 25 per cent of his match-fee and handed a demerit point after he was caught vaping inside the dressing room during his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Meanwhile, this marks DC's highest run-chase in IPL history. The visitors sealed the match with 5 balls to spare.

This was a masterclass chase from Delhi Capitals. Coming off a collapse for just 75 in their previous outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and with no prior success chasing 220-plus totals, this was as emphatic a response as it gets, sealed with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

With this win, DC grabs its fourth victory of the season and is placed on 6th in the points table, while RR stays in fourth position with six wins out of their 10 matches.

This is also the second-highest successful chase against RR, behind the 229 runs chased by SRH at the same venue earlier this season. (ANI)