NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag etched his name in IPL history by becoming the first-ever batter to smash six sixes off successive legal deliveries he faced, but his heroic 95 off 45 balls was not enough to secure a win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Chasing 207 for victory, Rajasthan were in deep trouble at 71-5 by the eighth over. Parag, however, launched a stunning counter-attack, particularly during the 13th over bowled by Moeen Ali, in which he hit four consecutive sixes followed by one after a wide, and then added another off Varun Chakravarthy in the next over—making it six consecutive sixes across two overs.
“The ground is very, very fast. So I knew I had my boundaries if I just stood in there,” Parag said post-match. “The wicket was a little tricky… I just had to pick my battles and I thought I did that pretty well until I got out.”
Parag’s dismissal in the 18th over proved decisive as Rajasthan fell agonizingly short, losing by just one run in a high-octane finish.
With 26 sixes to his name this season, the 23-year-old currently ranks fourth in the IPL’s six-hitting charts, behind leader Nicholas Pooran (34). Despite his individual brilliance, Rajasthan Royals remain eighth on the points table and have been officially knocked out of playoff contention.
