Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is facing a fresh wave of criticism after a video showing him allegedly vaping in the team dressing room during the IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings made the rounds on social media. The clip quickly caught attention because it appears to show Parag seated with teammates Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal during the second half of the run chase, casually vaping in a space where such activity is not permitted.
The moment reportedly took place in the 16th over of Rajasthan’s chase. Since the footage was captured during the live broadcast, it spread faster than typical off-field incidents and soon sparked a broader debate about discipline inside team areas at stadiums. While vaping is often treated differently by some fans in day-to-day life, league and venue rules—especially around restricted indoor spaces—leave little room for exceptions.
That concern is heightened by the legal backdrop in India. Smoking is tightly restricted inside dressing rooms and stadium premises, except in clearly designated areas. On top of this, electronic cigarettes and vapes are banned under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, which bars their production, sale, purchase, and use. Any breach can bring penalties ranging from financial penalties to imprisonment, turning what might seem like a “small” incident into something with real compliance consequences.
Parag’s situation also arrives amid a turbulent period for the Royals in IPL 2026. Earlier in the season, the team’s manager Romi Bhinder was warned and fined after he was caught using a phone in the dugout, a clear breach of the PMOA protocol. That prior episode has added another layer to the current controversy, as it suggests a pattern of lapses that can draw scrutiny from both officials and fans.
For Parag, the controversy doesn’t exist in isolation either. Over the years, several cricketers have found themselves in similar headlines after being filmed vaping or smoking in public or semi-public settings around cricket events. In 2020, a viral clip of Aaron Finch vaping during an IPL encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru did the rounds online; in the footage, he is seen exhaling and taking another puff before the broadcast shifted back to live action, but the incident was already widely shared.
More recently, during an SA20 match earlier this year, cameras captured AB de Villiers vaping while he was in the VIP stands. That moment drew instant reaction, with the former South African captain appearing visibly startled after realising he was on the big screen. Though those cases revolved around vaping, there have also been examples of players openly admitting to smoking in restricted areas. Brendon McCullum, when discussing the 2015 World Cup semi-final against South Africa, revealed that he smoked in a toilet, while Ben Stokes later said he smoked in the washroom at Lord’s during the 2019 World Cup final.
Even within IPL coverage, controversies keep resurfacing. This season, Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada was drawn into the spotlight after a video allegedly showed him smoking a cigarette from a hotel balcony. While that incident did not take place within stadium premises, it still contributed to the ongoing conversation about how player conduct is interpreted and policed across different venues tied to high-profile tournaments.
With multiple high-visibility incidents involving well-known names, Parag’s latest controversy is likely to intensify scrutiny around player behaviour, the clarity of regulations, and how consistently they are enforced—particularly in a league as closely watched as the IPL.
