Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag did not let the heaviness of his side’s defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) linger for long, calling the result “just a blip.” After RR’s crushing loss, he admitted there was little time to process the emotions, and instead pointed to what he felt worked well from the opposition—while also acknowledging that Rajasthan made a few incorrect calls. He highlighted the batting resilience shown by Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira, who stitched together a century partnership after RR had lost five wickets inside the opening three overs. Even so, RR were dismissed for 159 as SRH chased down the target with ease after posting 216/6, driven by Ishan Kishan’s 91 off 44 balls. The setback ends RR’s four-match winning run, gives SRH their second win of the season with three losses, and sees Rajasthan remain at the top of the table despite suffering their first defeat. SRH also climb to fourth spot with two victories and three defeats.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Riyan said there was “not a lot of time to feel emotions,” and urged credit towards SRH’s bowling. He also suggested that a few decisions by his team did not land as intended, while adding that the surface looked decent to bat on. He felt that batting first or second might have been a better option for his team given the conditions, noting that early on the new ball helped, but the ball slowed once the shine faded. “But again, that is hindsight and we could have batted better,” he remarked.
Riyan further reflected on the chase and the collapse, stressing that reaching 160 despite being five wickets down for nine showed the squad’s depth. “It is just a blip. We move ahead to Kolkata and something better,” he added.
When asked about SRH’s uncapped pacers, Riyan explained that he had only seen them sparingly in domestic cricket. He said he had once played Sakib, when Sakib represented Assam against Bihar, and praised how SRH’s bowlers delivered under pressure. He also pointed to the atmosphere, mentioning the home crowd chanting for their names, and concluded that their bowling spell was “beautiful.”
Earlier in the match, SRH put up 216/6 after being sent in, with their captain Ishan Kishan anchoring the innings using 91 runs from 44 balls. His knock included eight fours and six sixes, while Heinrich Klaasen contributed 40 off 26 deliveries with a boundary count of one four and three maximums. Nitish Kumar Reddy also made an impact, striking 28 in 13 balls with four fours as SRH built a strong total.
In reply, Rajasthan’s chase began to unravel almost immediately, with debutant Praful striking in the opening over to leave RR reeling at 9/5. Praful finished with figures of 4/34 from four overs. Donovan Ferreira attempted to keep the innings alive with 69 off 44 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes, while Ravindra Jadeja added 45 from 32 deliveries with five fours. Together, they fashioned a century partnership to support net run-rate calculations, but RR were eventually bowled out for 159. Late resistance came from Sakib, who struck 4 off 24 balls, yet it was not enough as SRH completed the win and handed Rajasthan their first loss of the campaign.
