I don't think...: Riyan Parag on vaping controversy after scoring 90

Riyan Parag may have faced criticism in recent times, but the Rajasthan Royals skipper, who roared back to form with a scintillating 90, said he has no need to respond to critics, insisting his focus is solely on winning matches for his side.

Parag’s 50-ball 90, along with a blistering unbeaten 47 off just 14 balls from Donovan Ferreira, powered RR to an imposing 225/6. However, the effort went in vain as Delhi Capitals chased down the target comfortably, sealing a seven-wicket victory in their Indian Premier League clash on Friday.

"I don't think I need to answer any critics or anyone talking about it (vaping). But at the end of the day, my job is to get two points. So, my score and my innings don't really matter if we lose the game," said Parag at the post-match presentation.


Before this knock, Parag had scored 117 runs from nine innings, with his previous best being 29.

Parag was fined 25 per cent of his match-fee and handed a demerit point after he was caught vaping inside the dressing room during his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Meanwhile, this marks DC's highest run-chase in IPL history. The visitors sealed the match with 5 balls to spare.

This was a masterclass chase from Delhi Capitals. Coming off a collapse for just 75 in their previous outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and with no prior success chasing 220-plus totals, this was as emphatic a response as it gets, sealed with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

With this win, DC grabs its fourth victory of the season and is placed on 6th in the points table, while RR stays in fourth position with six wins out of their 10 matches.

This is also the second-highest successful chase against RR, behind the 229 runs chased by SRH at the same venue earlier this season.

"I think it was a good score. I thought 200 was a par score here. It was going to slow down a bit, but I think we could have bowled way better in the middle overs, not let them get away a little too much.

"And then a lot of boundaries in one single over and that repeated. So, I felt we missed the trick with that, but no harm with the decision we made," he added.

The RR skipper also had an injury setback and stayed off the field after pulling a hamstring, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking over the captaincy duties.

"Hopefully it's not too serious, but a little bit on the hamstring. Thankfully, we have about a week break, so we'll clear it out," he added.

RR next face Gujarat Titans here on May 9.