India all-rounder Riyan Parag, retained by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 14 crore prior to the mega auction last November, has issued a strong statement to all competitors ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. During a practice match for Rajasthan on Wednesday, Parag delivered an impressive performance that nearly surpassed KL Rahul's five-year-old record in the league.

As teams gear up for IPL 2025, all franchises have commenced their training camps following India's Champions Trophy campaign, with some even organizing intra-squad practice matches. Rajasthan held one such match on Wednesday, and they shared a video on social media showcasing Parag returning to the dugout to the cheers of his teammates. The video highlighted his remarkable innings, in which he scored an explosive unbeaten 144 runs off just 64 balls, featuring 10 sixes and 16 fours.

If Parag had achieved that score in an IPL match, it would have broken Rahul's record for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the tournament's history. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman had made an unbeaten 132 for the Punjab franchise against Royal Challengers Bengaluru during IPL 2020. This score ranks as the fifth-highest overall by a batsman in IPL history.

Parag returns after a shoulder injury

The right-handed batsman approaches IPL 2025 after successfully recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for three months, including the four-match T20I series against South Africa. He made his return to competitive cricket in a single match for Assam during the Ranji Trophy.

His impressive score of 144* in a recent practice match is expected to significantly boost Parag's morale and instil confidence as he aims to replicate his performance from IPL 2024, which earned him a spot on the Indian team. In the previous season, he accumulated 573 runs at an average of 52.09, with a strike rate of 149.22.

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