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Fan touches Riyan Parag's feet; fans speculate whether it’s a PR stunt
A fan invaded the field in Guwahati to touch Rajasthan Royals' stand-in skipper Riyan Parag's feet during an IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Riyan Parag captained Rajasthan Royals at his home ground in Guwahati during their Indian Premier League (IPL) in what was a special moment for the 23-year-old and for the local fans in the stadium as well. Parag is the first player from his state to lead an IPL franchise, filling in for Sanju Samson who is not yet ready to play a full match as he recovers from an injury. There was a slight interruption during the match itself as a fan invaded the pitch and fell on Parag's feet.
However, there has been some scepticism online about the moment, with some users wondering out loud if the whole thing was nothing more than a PR exercise.
Parag got a rousing welcome from the local fans during toss. As soon as he took the mic against the Knight Riders, the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause for its homegrown talent. Parag, too, addressed the home fans, stating that he feels “humbled” to lead the IPL side in front of them.
“Very proud, very humbled to be leading a franchise like this. I started when I was 17 years old. The management has shown faith in me, it's something I can't really put in words,” Parag said.
A forgettable start to the season for RR
RR's regular skipper Samson is yet to be cleared completely fit, and has been advised not to undertake wicketkeeping duties. The Royals hence used Samson as their Impact Player in the first two matches of the season. In Samson's absence behind the stumps, Dhruv Jurel is keeping the wickets for the side.
Most other aspects of the night was quite forgettable for Parag though as his side lost to KKR by eight wickets. That makes it two comprehensive defeats for RR under Parag in their first two matches of the season. The Royals started the season by conceding a mammoth score of 286/6 in 20 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jofra Archer, who bowled the most expensive spell in IPL history against SRH, and fellow bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana were powerless in the face of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan’s relentless attack.
