"Love Is Player-Biased In India": Riyan Parag's Big 'Premier League' Comparison On Fan Culture

The Indian Premier League and the English Premier League have one thing in common - incredibly passionate fans come in numbers to watch the games at the stadium. India cricketer Riyan Parag, who will be captaining Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026, got to witness the fanfare in England first-hand when he visited the Premier League clash between West Ham and Manchester City on Sunday. In a media interaction, Parag candidly explained the difference between the fanfare in the IPL and the Premier League.

"I think there are more people in India who love cricket. But I love the unity in the Premier League. I saw 50,000 fans going crazy for West Ham even in a relegation battle. I didn't see a single supporter fanboying (Erling) Haaland or (Jeremy) Doku or (Phil) Foden. I saw everyone wanting West Ham to win," Parag said, in response to a question by NDTV.

"I feel that is something we don't get in India. The love for the game is there, but it's a little player-biased as well. The love for the team in the Premier League is better," he added.

Parag enters IPL 2026 as full-time captain of Rajasthan Royals, having been appointed in the role after the departure of Sanju Samson. Parag had a surprising answer when asked which Premier League captain he takes inspiration from.

"It has to be Jarrod Bowen. I understand there may be more successful teams than West Ham right now, but I got a chance to speak with him, I got to understand how he thinks. It's tough when you're bottom of the table and play home games in front of 60,000 people who are very loud and want you to win.

"The way he handled himself, the way he passed on his messaging and motivation to the team without sounding arrogant - I feel that is something I can learn. I'm really glad I had those conversations with him, which can be helpful for me if we're in a similar situation in the IPL," Parag explained.

Parag and Rajasthan Royals begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati. On the other hand, West Ham have eight games left in their relegation dogfight.

Topics mentioned in this article

Riyan Parag Rajasthan Royals India Cricket Team Cricket English Premier League West Ham United Manchester City Football IPL 2026