Riyan Parag's Blunt Confession As RR Crash Out Of IPL Playoffs Race, Openly Blames...

Rajasthan Royals (RR) slumped to their eighth defeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season after suffering a crushing 100-run loss against a resurgent Mumbai Indians (MI), who notched their seventh win of the campaign and their sixth consecutive victory on Thursday. MI posted a daunting total of 217/2, riding on a measured and calculated batting display that saw them keep wickets in hand and accelerate in the latter stages. In response, Rajasthan never really got going and collapsed under scoreboard pressure.

Speaking after the match, Riyan Parag acknowledged Mumbai's superior performance.

"You've got to give credit to MI for the way they batted. They kept wickets," Parag said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"Yeah, 190-200 would have been ideal. We've been getting good starts. But it's up to the middle order - myself, Dhruv (Jurel) - to step up. We've done a lot of things right and wrong. A lot of mistakes and small errors. We want to focus on them, and focus on the good (stuff) as well," he added.

Parag's comments point to growing concerns within the RR camp, especially with the middle order failing to provide the finishing flourish.

Mumbai Indians appear to be peaking at the right time, with their sixth straight win making them one of the most dangerous sides in the competition.

This was MI's sixth straight victory after losing four out of their initial five matches.

Chasing a huge target of 218, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi opened the innings for RR. MI bowler Deepak Chahar removed Suryavanshi in the very first over for zero. Nitish Rana joined Jaiswal in the middle.

Jaiswal was also soon removed by Trent Boult for 13 (6) in the second over of the innings. Rajasthan kept losing wickets at regular