Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) unbeaten run in IPL 2026 came to a halt as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured a convincing 57-run victory at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. While the result itself was a major talking point, one particular decision by RR captain Riyan Parag left fans and experts puzzled – why was Ravindra Jadeja not given a single over with the ball?

Riyan Parag explains Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling snub as RR suffer first defeat in IPL 2026

With SRH piling up a massive 216 on the board, many expected Jadeja to play a role, especially in the middle overs where the pitch began offering some grip for slower bowlers. However, the experienced left-arm spinner remained unused throughout the innings, raising questions about the team’s bowling strategy.

Addressing the decision after the match, Parag admitted that it wasn’t part of a well-thought-out plan but rather a quick call made in the heat of the moment. “Jaddu bhai, I don’t know, it was just a split second decision,” Parag explained. “Ishan (Kishan) was batting really well, so I didn’t want to take that chance.”

The young skipper pointed out that the pitch had some early assistance for seamers with the new ball, which influenced his decision-making. As SRH captain Ishan Kishan dominated the innings with a blistering 91 off 44 balls, supported by Heinrich Klaasen’s aggressive 40, RR struggled to contain the scoring rate.

Parag chose to rely heavily on his pace attack and even bowled an over himself, conceding 10 runs. However, the absence of Jadeja’s control and experience in the middle overs allowed SRH to maintain their momentum and post a daunting total.

Also WATCH: Praful Hinge removes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius for ducks in his first over 

Criticism mounts despite Jadeja’s fightback with the bat

The decision to keep Jadeja out of the bowling attack did not go down well with many in the cricketing fraternity. Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth was particularly critical, questioning the logic behind the move.

“He’s only there for style. As usual, he did nothing with the bat and spoke at the post-match presentation. He doesn’t bowl Jadeja an over and then offers an explanation that a left-hander was playing. Is there some rule that a left-arm spinner can’t bowl to a left-hander? It’s absurd,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Parag himself had a disappointing outing with the bat, managing just 4 runs off 6 balls as RR’s chase collapsed early. Reduced to 9 for 5 within the first three overs, the Royals were effectively out of the contest before they could settle.

Amid the chaos, Jadeja stepped up with the bat and showed his value to the team. Walking in at a critical moment, he played a composed knock of 45 off 32 balls and stitched together a remarkable 118-run partnership with Donovan Ferreira, who scored 69 off 44 deliveries.

Their effort helped RR regain some respectability, but the damage caused by SRH’s bowlers – particularly debutants Praful Hinge (4/34) and Sakib Hussain (4/24) – proved too much to recover from. Rajasthan eventually fell short, marking their first loss of the season.

Despite the defeat, RR continue to sit at the top of the points table with 8 points from five matches. SRH, meanwhile, climbed to fourth place after registering their second win of the campaign.

Also READ: Praful Hinge reveals strategy to dismiss Vaibhav Suryavanshi for a duck in SRH vs RR IPL 2026 showdown

For latest cricket news & updates, visit CricketTimes.com.