Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag (ANI Photo) Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin came down hard on Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag and questioned his decision-making in the defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin did not hold back as he dissected the crucial moment involving Ravindra Jadeja. Despite conceding just eight runs in three overs and taking two crucial wickets, Jadeja was not trusted at the critical juncture against left-handers.
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IPL 2026: RR assistant coach Vikram Rathour speaks after loss to KKR “When you have a top-class spinner who has conceded only 8 runs in 3 overs, yet you think you are an off-spinner who can bowl to these two left-handers but not Jaddu – it shows a poor captaincy mindset. Jaddu’s balls may be hit for sixes, but as a captain it is your responsibility to trust your bowlers,” Ashwin said.Ashwin also highlighted the long-term impact of such decisions. “Aap long run jo bowling par bhraossa dikha sakta hai because if the left-arm spinner knows he doesn’t have to bowl to left-handers, wo koshish bhi nahi karega. If Jadeja bowls and takes the wicket of Rinku, he would be man of the match,” he explained.The comments came after a game that Rajasthan Royals lost despite strong moments with the ball. KKR vice-captain Rinku Singh played a crucial role with an unbeaten 53 to guide his team to a four-wicket win.The key turning point came early in Rinku Singh’s innings when he was dismissed at number eight – too far off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja – a moment that ultimately proved decisive. From there, he cashed in fully and put together a match-winning partnership with Anukul Roy that went on to win 76 runs to edge KKR with two balls to spare.Earlier, the KKR bowlers had set up the contest brilliantly. Varun Chakravarthy (3/14) and Sunil Narine (2/26) led the spin as Kartik Tyagi chipped in with three wickets to restrict Rajasthan Royals to 155/9.Despite Jadeja’s impressive spell in the middle overs, RR failed to close out the game – a lapse Ashwin felt stemmed from a lack of confidence in the proven match-winners at crucial moments.
