Rajasthan Royals, officials in firing line as BCCI issues crackdown threat after Riyan Parag vaping row: Devajit Saikia

BCCI is now mulling stringent action against the Rajasthan Royals as well.

Updated on: Apr 30, 2026, 15:52:56 IST

Written by Aratrick Mondal

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Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was punished by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday for being caught vaping on camera during the IPL 2026 game against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur earlier this week. Parag was fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" and was handed one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials. However, the BCCI is now mulling stringent action against the Rajasthan Royals as well.

Rajasthan Royals' skipper Riyan Parag was fined for vaping incident (ANI Pic Service)

In the same IPL statement released on Thursday, pertaining to the action taken on Parag, it was mentioned towards the end that the Indian board is not quite pleased with the Rajasthan Royals team, its officials, and players, and is therefore exploring options to take action to ensure that the "reputation of the IPL remains intact."

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The statement read: "The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and player/s to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact."

The same was confirmed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who told PTI, "As it is written clearly in the statement, we are exploring what action to take on the team. It is not decided yet."

Parag's action was caught by one of the broadcast cameras and quickly went viral on social media, after which he was heavily criticised.

The PTI report stated that the on-field umpires, Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon, did not report the incident to the match referee immediately after the game, but did so only after they were made aware of the clip. After reviewing visual evidence of the incident, Parag was found guilty of a Code of Conduct breach as per IPL guidelines.

Since it was a Level 1 offence, no hearing was required.

The infringement on Parag's part came just days after Rajasthan team manager Romi Bhinder was seen using his mobile phone in the dugout during the IPL 2026 game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10 in Guwahati. He was fined INR 1 lakh for the offence. Bhinder had told the IPL's Anti-Corruption Unit that the breach was inadvertent and offered an unconditional apology.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aratrick Mondal
Aratrick Mondal is a senior sports journalist based in New Delhi. In his eight years as a sports writer, Aratrick has worked at leading media organisations, including The Times of India, Times Now, Zee, India TV and currently works at a senior position at Hindustan Times Digital. He writes on cricket, football, pickleball and tennis, among other sports. He has extensively covered India's evolving cricket landscape, the country's new-found love for private leagues such as Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), Ultimate Kho Kho League (UKK), Rugby Premier League (RPL) and several tennis leagues. He has closely covered emerging sports such as pickleball. His coverage of major franchise events lends an atmospheric flavor to his ground reports. His recent story on how SA20 (the domestic cricket league of South Africa) had opened up its grounds to create a carnival-like fan experience garnered major international attention, including appreciation from major cricketers. Tennis holds a special place in his heart. Aratrick has built a strong niche in analytical tennis stories—ranging from Grand Slam narratives and player profiles to tactical breakdowns and ranking trends. His long-form features often decode grand slams, career highs and lows of tennis greats and the upward trajectory of emerging stars. He also closely follows India's tennis landscape, having covered the Davis Cup, Bengaluru Open and Tata Open, among others. His reporting is backed by strong data capabilities, with hands-on experience using tools like Python, Tableau, and Excel to produce visually rich, insight-led stories. This data-first approach enhances accuracy, transparency, and trust. In leadership roles, he has managed editorial shifts, overseen homepage strategy, optimised SEO workflows, and mentored peers to deliver consistent, high-traffic journalism. He recently won the HT DigiStar award for the third quarter of financial year 2025-26. Aratrick is trusted for his balanced reportage, sound sourcing, and ability to translate complex sporting events into engaging narratives that speak to a wide audience. He believes sports is for everyone, not just for the enthusiasts and has a unique ability to bring people together - just like the sumptuous meals you'll often find him cooking on a weekend evening.Read More

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