Riyan Parag Called Out For Ravindra Jadeja Call. R Ashwin Goes On Relentless Rant

The Rajasthan Royals became the first team of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season to lose a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, a team that had gone winless in its first six matches of the season. The closely fought contest went down to the wire, with Rinku Singh lifting KKR with an exemplary 53 off 34 balls, while Anukul Roy added 29 off 16 to take the team home in the final over. Taking nothing away from Rinku and Anukul, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin tore into Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag for his captaincy blunders at the fag end of the game.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin accused Parag of not trusting Ravindra Jadeja, the team's senior-most player, with the ball, despite the fact that he had taken two wickets in his three overs, conceding just 8 runs.

"You have a world-class left-arm spinner. Sure, numbers and data can tell you something, but he has conceded only 9 or 11 runs in three overs and taken two wickets.

"When Rinku Singh tried to hit, he was so close to getting out, but you thought, 'I am an off-spinner; I can put pressure on these two left-handers, but Jaddu won't be able to.' Though Ravi Bishnoi can, you felt Jaddu won't be able to. I am telling you, this is the mindset. It is possible that Jaddu bowls and the batter hits two sixes, but by not bowling him, you are not showing trust in your bowling unit in the long term," Ashwin said in the video, lambasting the Rajasthan Royals captain.

Ravi Ashwin brutally exposes Riyan Parag's captaincy.

Ashwin said : "When you have a world-class spinner who conceded just 8 runs in 3 overs, yet you think you're an off-spinner who can bowl to these two left-handers but not Jaddu — that shows a poor captaincy mindset.… pic.twitter.com/7MoIuM80c0

— AK 45 (@ImRo45_Club) April 19, 2026

While Ashwin isn't in complete denial of the data and analytics that discourage using a left-arm spinner against left-handed batters, especially in the death overs, he said that Parag's lack of trust in Jadeja is baffling, as he was one of RR's best bowlers on the day. He argued that by opting against using the veteran southpaw, the captain creates a sense of mistrust, so much so that Jadeja would no longer feel he even needs to try bowling against a left-handed batter.

"If a left-arm spinner knows he isn't wanted against a left-hander, he won't even try. As a captain or team management, if you are telling him, 'This is not your job,' look at what happens to the ball. You won four out of five games, and in this party, if Ravindra Jadeja had taken that wicket of Rinku Singh, he would have been the Man of the Match today. If he becomes the Man of the Match, the Rajasthan Royals become a solid 7-8 player team; the way your team looks then is so good.

"It is possible that you can lose, but understand that you should lose with one of your better bowlers having bowled. Does it ever happen that you don't send Mitchell Marsh to bat? You don't send Rishabh Pant? You don't send Nicholas Pooran? That never happens. So, what I am saying is that if you can take Brijesh Sharma, who has no experience in the IPL, and give him the 18th and 20th overs in his first game, you can definitely give them to Jadeja. You can give them to Bishnoi, but you can also give them to Jadeja," said Ashwin.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Rajasthan Royals Ravichandran Ashwin Riyan Parag Ravindra Jadeja IPL 2026 Kolkata Knight Riders Cricket