Parag: 'If we keep playing like this, we shouldn't be in contention for top four'

Rajasthan Royals suffered their third successive defeat, and find themselves sixth with two games left

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was blunt in his assessment of his team's loss against Delhi Capitals (DC), saying their fielding was "very poor" and that he was "extremely disappointed".

RR started IPL 2026 with four successive wins. But since then, they've won just two out of their next eight matches, and now find themselves under threat of not qualifying for the playoffs. They failed to defend 193 in Delhi for their third successive defeat.

"I feel if you want to win a trophy, if you want to be contending every single year, you've got to be better than what we've done today," he said at the post-match presentation. "Extremely disappointed. I feel we are a way better team than what we've played or shown in the last four-five games.

"But after coming from a break, I feel what we've shown today energy-wise, skill-wise, execution-wise, is definitely not up to the mark. And if we keep on playing like this, we shouldn't be in contention for the top four."

Yash Raj Punja dropped KL Rahul on zero - Rahul went on to score 56 off 42 balls - while there were misfields from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Parag himself which cost RR in a game which went down to the last over. The game still hung in the balance despite those errors. With six wickets in hand, DC needed another 35 runs to win in the last three overs, with Axar Patel set and David Miller new at the crease.

Parag then introduced offspinner Donovan Ferreira into the attack despite Dasun Shanaka and Adam Milne having an over each left to bowl. Parag's move, though, backfired. Both Axar and Miller hit Ferreira for six each in a 16-run over to tilt the game DC's way.

"[Bowling] Ferreira [at the time] wasn't a gamble," Parag said of the move. "I know on TV it looks like a gamble, but then you've got two left-handers [at the crease]. I'd rather bowl Donovan, [and] take a chance, than get Shanaka to bowl another over."

With the bat, RR managed just 41 runs with the loss of six wickets in the last seven overs. That included losing three wickets to Mitchell Starc in the 15th over, one of which was of Parag's for 51 off 26 deliveries. At that stage, RR were 161 for 3 with Dhruv Jurel set at the other end, and 34 balls left in the innings. But Parag felt after his dismissal, RR "didn't capitalise" on the platform they had laid.

"It [the total] had to be 220-230 - something like that," Parag said. "And as far as the bowling is concerned, I think we just weren't there. We weren't up to the mark."

RR, who are sixth on the table with two games left, next face Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on May 19.