Riyan Parag, the stand-in captain of Rajasthan Royals (RR), has found himself at the center of multiple controversies following his team’s first win in IPL 2025 which came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday. Despite securing a hard-fought six-run victory, Parag’s actions on and off the field sparked widespread criticism.
The selfie incident: Fans question Riyan Parag’s attitude
After RR’s thrilling victory at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, a video surfaced showing Parag taking a selfie with ballboys from the Assam Cricket Association and then casually tossing the phone back to them. This gesture was widely perceived as dismissive and disrespectful, leading to an uproar on social media.
Attitude 🗿 Performance 🤡 pic.twitter.com/tNBZgSpRMA
— Sonu (@heyysonu_) March 31, 2025
Fans expressed disappointment, labeling his behavior as arrogant and unbefitting of a cricketer representing India. Many called for him to focus on improving his performance and leadership rather than displaying such conduct.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Riyan Parag took a selfie with ground staff and threw his phone.🙄 pic.twitter.com/QQEY98y1Tz
— mufaddla parody (@mufaddl_parody) March 31, 2025
Riyan Parag showing Unnecessary Attitude in front of our Assam Police Officers.
He thinks he is the main character 🤡 pic.twitter.com/hBRhBFXmRd
— Jyotirmay Das (@dasjy0tirmay) March 31, 2025
Riyan parag you have to learn many things as a player also pic.twitter.com/uKDj96lmw3
— SmithianEra (@NivedhM38443) March 31, 2025
Riyan parag you have to learn many things as a player also pic.twitter.com/uKDj96lmw3
— SmithianEra (@NivedhM38443) March 31, 2025
Bhai itna attitude toh Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni ka nahi dekha jitna Riyan Parag captain banne ke baad dikha rha hai 🤡
pic.twitter.com/GBNGTxMqSj— 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 🥂 (@whyy__prince) March 31, 2025
Riyan parag’s attitude 🤡 pic.twitter.com/qasSPHUBfl
— srh 🧡 (@srh_addict) March 31, 2025
He brought it upon himself with his attitude. Riyan Parag’s behavior with fans speaks for itself.#RiyanParag #RRvCSK #MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/bKXRQPQfnf
— IndiaPulse: News & Trends (@IndiaPulseNow) March 31, 2025
Thought Riyan Parag had improved his attitude over the years but guess I was wrong. He still is the one who loves showbaazi and is arrogant. He might have great talent (which we only saw last year, otherwise he was a dud), but with such attitude, he won’t make it big
— Ujjwal (@ujjwalingolikar) March 31, 2025
Blud got the attitude of Ben Stokes but plays like Riyan Parag. https://t.co/NxJK1H8O9g
— Saurav (@SauravTxt) March 31, 2025
Bro’s attitude after winning one league match against CSK🤡🤡 https://t.co/rpZvyc5CwL
— Boredommemes (@MemesBoredom) March 31, 2025
bro tries so hard to act like Virat Kohli but instead he’s just another Shakib Al Hassan https://t.co/u8zYBh3SKC
— murphy (@ro_Stanx45) March 31, 2025
Bro needs some serious humbling down https://t.co/jckQwGio6U
— SwatKat💃 (@swatic12) March 31, 2025
2match captaincy kya milgaya ye tho hawa me udraha hai. https://t.co/qxG4qHw6yn
— Tanveer (@Cric_Tanveer) March 31, 2025
The thing is, his attitude is bigger than his batting average https://t.co/7uXVa5nG2r
— Afrida☄️ (@afreedakw) March 31, 2025
Slow over-rate penalty adds to woes
Adding to the controversy, Parag was fined INR 12 lakh by the BCCI for maintaining a slow over-rate during the match against CSK. The penalty was imposed under Article 2.22 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offenses. While this was RR’s first offense of the season, it further fueled scrutiny of Parag’s captaincy.
This fine made Parag the second captain in IPL 2025 to be penalized for slow over-rates, following Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya. However, unlike previous seasons where captains faced bans for repeated offenses, IPL 2025 introduced a system of monetary penalties and demerit points instead.
Also WATCH: Shimron Hetmyer grabs a match-changing catch of MS Dhoni, denies CSK a thrilling win over RR
Mixed on-field performance amid leadership scrutiny
Despite off-field controversies, Parag contributed significantly to RR’s victory. His sharp fielding efforts, including a stunning catch to dismiss Shivam Dube and Shimron Hetmyer’s decisive grab to end MS Dhoni’s chase, played crucial roles in defending RR’s total of 182 runs. However, his leadership remains under scrutiny after RR lost their first two matches this season—one involving a record-breaking total conceded against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
