Riyan Parag was set up for a feel-good IPL moment on Tuesday night in New Chandigarh—he posted his best batting return of a tough season and also became the first captain to halt Punjab Kings’ relentless momentum. Instead, the spotlight shifted to a self-inflicted controversy when visuals showed Parag vaping in the dressing room shortly after being dismissed, raising fresh questions about his judgement and prompting renewed scrutiny of Rajasthan Royals’ adherence to team and league rules.
Key takeaways
- Rajasthan Royals beat Punjab Kings by six wickets in New Chandigarh to end the visitors’ unbeaten run.
- Parag contributed a sharp, timely 29 that helped spark Rajasthan’s successful chase.
- Video footage captured Parag vaping in the RR dressing room not long after his dismissal by Yuzvendra Chahal.
- The report highlights that vaping is illegal in India under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019, with penalties for violations.
- Rajasthan’s captaincy plans have centred on Parag this season, following Sanju Samson’s trade to Chennai Super Kings.
From a chase-changing knock to a dressing-room storm
With Donovan Ferreira and impact player Shubham Dubey driving an aggressive assault toward the target, Parag’s dismissal soon became part of Punjab’s push. However, Rajasthan still managed to regroup and ultimately snap Punjab’s undefeated streak. Parag’s 29—compact but significant—was one of the key inputs in a chase that propelled the 2008 champions to third place on the league standings after the six-wicket win.
Despite the on-field progress, the night turned sour off it. The broadcast caught Parag taking a deep drag from a vape in the dressing room shortly after Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed him. Yashasvi Jaiswal briefly obstructed the camera view as he moved away, but the vapour escaping from Parag’s lips remained impossible to miss.
Why the vape incident carries legal and sporting weight
The immediate outrage around the incident is rooted in morality, but the piece stresses that the concerns are broader than that. Under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019, vaping and the use of e-cigarettes are illegal in India. The law bars the production, sale, purchase, import, export and advertisement of e-cigarettes/vapes, and breaches can bring imprisonment as well as substantial fines.
It also points to dressing-room restrictions on electronic devices. A vape qualifies as an electronic device, and the dressing-room environment is treated as a controlled space where items that can record or communicate are broadly restricted. That is why players and support staff are typically required to hand over their mobile phones to team officials once they reach the ground.
With that context, the question becomes how a vape found its way into the RR dressing room. The report adds another troubling reminder: less than a fortnight earlier, Romi Bhinder—Rajasthan’s long-serving team manager—was fined ₹1 lakh and formally warned for using a mobile phone in the team dugout, which conflicted with BCCI/IPL protocols. Given Bhinder’s long association with the franchise and the league, the article notes that the repeated nature of rule-breaking makes the situation harder to ignore. It also suggests that neither the franchise nor Parag appears to have taken the previous warning as a sufficient lesson.
Beyond internal consequences, Parag is likely to face additional censure outside official channels for vaping and for setting what critics may frame as a “bad example” for younger fans who view such acts as “cool.” The report further suggests that authorities may not respond leniently, given that the incident unfolded clearly in public view and is being treated as more than just an ethical slip.
Trouble mounts for Riyan Parag on and off the field
As the controversy adds to the noise, the article also revisits Parag’s recent cricketing situation. Parag himself has admitted he is going through a difficult phase. In a post-match interaction a few nights earlier, he told the host broadcaster he was dealing with something, though he did not expand on it. The write-up frames his current stretch as a roadblock after a period of promise earlier in his career, with injuries hampering his momentum over the last couple of years.
It outlines Parag’s progression: he was part of the India Under-19 squad alongside Prithvi Shaw that won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, then joined Rajasthan the following year, and made his India debut at 21. It notes that between July and October 2024 he played all ten of his combined ODIs and T20Is, and since then he has not been seriously in contention for national selection—though at Rajasthan, he remains a key asset.
The piece then explains how Parag’s captaincy role evolved. Last year, when Sanju Samson was recovering from a broken thumb and was not cleared to keep wickets—meaning he played as an impact substitute—Parag was named stand-in captain, which surprised many. This season, with Samson moved on to Chennai Super Kings, Parag has been installed as skipper in his own right.
As a leader, the report describes him as a mixed performer: at times showing creativity and flair, and at other times allowing matches to drift or making basic errors. It also says his batting form has been largely quiet, even as the Rajasthan management continues to show support. Still, it questions what defence Parag and the franchise can mount after this latest incident, suggesting that the fallout could extend beyond immediate headlines.
The article also touches on perceptions of his personality. Parag is considered articulate and intelligent by many, and while he can come across as cocky or even arrogant, it argues that this is largely a perception issue rather than confirmed reality. What is “beyond question,” however, is that he has crossed a line and entered territory that warrants action.
On the batting front, it notes that Parag has not done enough to strengthen his case for an India recall, especially with Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar making strong impressions in the T20I middle order. The write-up frames Parag’s misstep as harder to justify because one of his mentors is head coach Kumar Sangakkara, making the decision-making lapse even more difficult to explain.
Finally, the piece argues that age is on Parag’s side, but he should be humbled by the seriousness of the blunder and the disregard shown toward protocol. It concludes by saying how he reacts to punishment—suggested to be more than a symbolic slap on the wrist—will reveal his character and determine whether he can find the inner resilience needed to bounce back.
