Mullanpur: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag has been penalized 25 per cent of his match fee following a controversial incident where he was captured vaping on camera during a recent Indian Premier League fixture. The breach occurred during the Royals’ successful run chase against the Punjab Kings at the Mullanpur stadium on Tuesday night. While the team secured a victory to halt the Kings’ undefeated streak, the captain’s off-field conduct quickly overshadowed the performance on the pitch as footage of the incident circulated widely across social media platforms.
The disciplinary action was initiated after on-field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon reviewed visual evidence following the conclusion of the match. Although the matter was not immediately reported to match referee Amit Sharma during the game, the subsequent proof led to Parag being found guilty of a Level 1 offence under the IPL Code of Conduct. Specifically, the captain was charged under Article 2.21, which addresses behaviour that brings the game into disrepute. Along with the financial penalty, a single demerit point has been added to the player’s disciplinary record.
In an official statement, the IPL confirmed that Parag admitted to the offence and accepted the sanctions imposed by the match referee without the need for a formal hearing. The league management further indicated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is currently investigating additional avenues for potential proceedings against the franchise and its officials. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saika noted that while the player has been sanctioned, the board is still deliberating on what broader actions might be necessary to protect the reputation of the tournament and ensure strict adherence to conduct protocols.
The incident carries extra weight given that the Indian government officially prohibited the production, sale, and distribution of e-cigarettes in 2019. Legal experts noted that first-time offenders of this ban can face significant fines or even imprisonment, making the public display of such a device a serious matter for the league’s image. This marks the second disciplinary issue for the Rajasthan Royals this month, following a fine recently issued to team manager Romi Bhinder for an unauthorized use of a mobile phone in the dugout area.
The Rajasthan Royals are scheduled to return to their home ground in Jaipur on Friday night to face the Delhi Capitals. Team management will likely be looking to move past this distraction as they attempt to maintain their momentum in the standings. League officials have described the act as a careless lapse in judgment, particularly given the constant presence of high-definition cameras and the immediate nature of social media scrutiny in modern professional sports.
