A fan breached security during the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, March 26. The pitch invader fell at Rajasthan Royals’ interim skipper Riyan Parag’s feet while he was bowling during the match.
Riyan Parag captained the Rajasthan Royals for the first time in his home state of Assam. Regular skipper Sanju Samson was sidelined from captaincy for the first three matches due to a finger injury. Samson featured in both this game and RR’s opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as an opening batter.
Watch: Pitch Invader Falls on Riyan Parag’s Feet in IPL 2025 Match
The fan breached security and ran onto the field toward Riyan Parag while Kolkata Knight Riders were chasing 152 runs. The incident took place just before the 12th over, when Parag was preparing to bowl.
Quinton de Kock, who was on strike, pulled out after noticing the invader. The fan reached Parag, touched his feet, and hugged him before security personnel intervened and escorted him off the field.
Watch a clip of the incident here:
It was the second instance of a pitch invasion in IPL 2025. Earlier, a fan breached security to approach Virat Kohli during the tournament opener between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens. That fan was banned from entering the stadium for the remainder of the IPL season.
Riyan Parag Registered Second Underwhelming Performance in IPL 2025
Riyan received the loudest cheer during the toss, even though Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won it. Parag contributed with both bat and ball.
The right-handed batter smashed three sixes and scored 25 runs off 15 balls before being dismissed in the eighth over. Parag mistimed a big shot against Varun Chakaravarthy. This was his second underwhelming performance in IPL 2025, having scored just four runs off two balls in the first match.
With the ball, Parag bowled four overs as the team’s third spin option, partnering with the Sri Lankan duo Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga. However, his inconsistency with the bat has drawn criticism from fans.
That’s What We Were Aiming For – Riyan Parag
Rajasthan Royals managed only 151 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali took full advantage of the slow nature of the Guwahati pitch. The pair bowled eight overs combined, conceding just 40 runs while picking up four crucial wickets.
Riyan Parag admitted that the team was aiming for a total of 170. However, he said that the team fell short by 20 runs. Parag also revealed that their plan was to dismiss Quinton de Kock early.
“170 was going to be a really good score, that’s what we were aiming for. I personally rushed a little bit, knowing the wicket here. Fell short by 20 runs. That was the plan, to get Quinny out early, but that didn’t happen. So, we shifted to containing in the middle overs. He played really well, so kudos to him,” Parag said.
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