Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has taken aim at Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag after a late bowling switch in their IPL 2026 meeting with Delhi Capitals, calling the decision to hand Donovan Ferreira the 18th over a \u201csuicidal move\u201d that swung the match\u2019s momentum beyond recovery. Gavaskar\u2019s criticism focused on both the timing and the match context, arguing that the choice was out of sync with what the game required at that stage.<\/p>\n
In his assessment, Gavaskar first questioned the cricketing logic of replacing a more reliable option with Ferreira, stressing that the pitch situation did not offer much for a slower bowler to work with. \u201cHanding the ball to Donovan Ferreira to bowl the 18th over was a suicidal move. You are bringing a slow bowler on a pitch offering him no help. He was just bowling in the slot. It was his first over of the match,\u201d Gavaskar said on JioStar. He then added that the bowler\u2019s confidence and earlier batting return were also points Parag should have weighed more seriously.<\/p>\n
Gavaskar referenced Ferreira\u2019s batting misfortune as a signal that the game might not be in the bowler\u2019s favour. \u201cHe had also scored a golden duck with the bat. Sometimes you must look at where the luck is going that day,\u201d he remarked. In Gavaskar\u2019s view, form should have dictated the risk level of such a call, especially when the innings was in a delicate phase. \u201cIf he had scored 40 or 50 runs and was high on confidence, giving him an over would have made sense. But he got out first ball, and you still gave him the ball,\u201d he said, underlining how the decision ignored the psychological and performance factors that often decide tight T20 moments.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, Gavaskar pointed to what happened in the over itself and how quickly the advantage vanished. \u201cHe went for 16 runs in that over, and the match was gone. Done and dusted.\u201d From there, he widened the critique to the captain\u2019s overall tactical judgement, suggesting that Parag could have entrusted the ball to a more established bowler rather than making a high-risk change. \u201cRiyan Parag could have handed the ball to a proper bowler, a regular bowler. Even if that bowler gave away 20 runs, that\u2019s not the point. The point is that at that crucial stage, giving the ball to Donovan Ferreira was a suicidal decision by Rajasthan Royals,\u201d Gavaskar said.<\/p>\n
The criticism landed after a dramatic contest in which Rajasthan\u2019s innings and control slipped suddenly. After setting a strong platform, RR were cruising at 160\/2 in 14 overs and appeared set for a total of 220-plus. The turning point arrived when Mitchell Starc produced a devastating spell that completely disrupted the middle and lower order. Starc took 4\/40, ripping through RR at the exact moment the innings needed stabilising, with Lungi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari also contributing important breakthroughs as the innings collapsed to 193\/8.<\/p>\n
Before that collapse, Rajasthan had looked firmly on top, powered by substantial contributions across the top and middle order. Vaibhav Suryavanshi struck 46 off 21, Dhruv Jurel made 53, and Riyan Parag scored 51 off 26, delivering an aggressive stretch that pushed RR into a commanding position. Parag\u2019s rapid burst helped lift the scoring rate, but Starc\u2019s late surge flipped the contest, and Rajasthan soon lost wickets in quick succession\u2014leaving them short of what had seemed an assured high total.<\/p>\n
Delhi Capitals then chased the target with relative ease, building pressure early and finishing efficiently. Abishek Porel scored 51 off 31 and KL Rahul made 56 off 42 as the pair put on a 105-run opening partnership. From there, Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 34 and Ashutosh Sharma added a quick cameo to seal the chase in 19.2 overs, handing Delhi the win.<\/p>\n
The result moved Delhi Capitals to seventh place with 12 points, keeping their playoff hopes alive, while Rajasthan Royals were left to reassess a sequence of decisions\u2014especially the controversial bowling call\u2014that ultimately proved far more costly than they would have expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has taken aim at Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag after a late bowling switch in their IPL 2026 meeting with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Gavaskar Criticizes Riyan Parag Over 18th Over vs DC in IPL 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Sunil Gavaskar blasts Riyan Parag\u2019s \u201csuicidal\u201d 18th-over switch vs DC in IPL 2026, saying the timing handed momentum to Delhi.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n