The Riyan Parag vaping controversy has brought the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise under the BCCI scanner amid the ongoing 2026 season as the Indian Cricket Board reportedly seeks a legal opinion. The 2008 champions, the Rajasthan-based franchise, have been in the limelight for all the disciplinary issues of late.
Parag was caught vaping in the Rajasthan Royals dressing room near teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel during their match against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. The video of the incident went viral on social media and prompted the BCCI to take swift action. As a result, the BCCI fined Parag 25% of his match fee and awarded one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct.
“Riyan was found to have breached Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which deals with ‘conduct which brings the game into disrepute.’ The incident occurred during the second innings when Riyan was seen using a vape inside the dressing room. Riyan has pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction imposed by match referee Amit Sharma,” the IPL said in a statement.
Why did Riyan give Parag only 25% fine?
Vaping (also known as e-cigarettes) is completely banned in India. The Indian government banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, banning their manufacture, sale and distribution. According to the law, the offender is liable to imprisonment for up to one year and/or a ₹1 million fine for the first offense.
Based on a Times of India report, there is no definite penalty in the IPL Code of Conduct for vaping. He also added that the BCCI is seeking a legal opinion on the matter. “There is no defined penalty in the IPL code of conduct. BCCI will seek a legal opinion,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying. Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara is also believed to have had a say in the matter after the match against Parag.
Why Rajasthan Royals are under BCCI scanner?
In IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals have made most of the noise off the field. Prior to Paraga’s incident, franchise manager Romi Bhinder was caught using a mobile phone in the dugout, a complete breach of PMOA (Players and Match Officials Areas – PMOA) protocol.
Bhinder was caught using a mobile phone during the IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on April 10. Bhinder was let off with a warning and a fine of Rs ₹1 lakh.
“The violation relates to the use of a mobile phone in the team kick-off, which is against Article 4.1.1 of the BCCI IPL PMOA protocols,” the IPL said in a statement. Such disciplinary issues from the same franchise within days did not go down well with the BCCI.
Following the announcement of Parag’s fine, an IPL statement also said that the parent body is exploring other options for strict action against the franchise. “The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate strict action proceedings against the erring team, its officials and players/players to ensure that the reputation of the IPL remains intact,” the IPL statement added.
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