Rajasthan Royals star Riyan Parag said he is hopeful of returning to the senior national team with consistent performances in the IPL 2025 season. Riyan became the first cricketer from Assam to play for India when he made his debut last year. He enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals in 2024, repaying the trust the franchise had placed in him.
Riyan Parag smashed 573 runs in 16 matches, averaging 52.09 with a strike rate of 149.21 in IPL 2024 – the first time he had scored over 200 runs in a season for Rajasthan. Despite his earlier lack of consistency, the Royals have backed Riyan ever since they bought him in the 2019 auction.
Riyan featured in as many as nine T20 internationals after making his debut in July and also played one ODI for India. Head coach Gautam Gambhir made good use of Riyan’s all-round abilities, giving the 23-year-old opportunities with the ball as well. | IPL 2025, RR vs RCB Updates |
Reflecting on the opportunity to play for India, Riyan said: “Really special. I have been dreaming of it since I was a little kid. You can see the smile on my face and yeah, just trying to have another good season and hopefully back in the India colours pretty soon.”
“Last year, everything just came together collectively. Trying to do the same this year – got a lot of starts, just trying to convert those starts into big innings,” he added.
Riyan recovered in time from a shoulder injury to play for Rajasthan in IPL 2025. The all-rounder missed India’s tour of South Africa and a home series against England. With the growing competition for spots in the T20I side, the right-hander may have to earn his place back through strong domestic performances.
Riyan led the Rajasthan Royals in their first three games of the season when Sanju Samson was available only as an Impact Player due to injury concerns. He guided them to their first win of the campaign in their third match – against Chennai Super Kings. Riyan has scored 135 runs in five innings at an improved strike rate of 160.
The young batter has shown great versatility, switching between No. 3 and No. 4 in the batting order depending on the team’s requirements. Rajasthan have placed importance on maintaining a right-left combination at the top, with Riyan and Nitish Rana rotating at No. 3 based on the opening partnership between Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“I was at three for the first few games; I’m back at number four now. I’ve been playing at this position for the last three matches and I feel it’s going to stay that way for at least the next few games, if not the rest of the season. I’m back at my happy place, so I’m just looking to contribute more with the bat and see how it goes,” he said.
RCB’s Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field on a hot afternoon at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
