Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag acknowledged his side fell "dead under par" after a four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an IPL 2026 match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 19).

Opting to bat first, the Royals posted a modest 155/9 on the board. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-scored with 46, while Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed 39. RR were cruising at 81/0 but suffered a dramatic collapse to 124/5, thereby squandering the opportunity to rack up a huge total.

In reply, the hosts were reeling at 85/6 in the 14th over. Amid the pressure situation, Rinku Singh (53* off 34) rose to the occasion and found ample support from Anukul Roy (29* off 16) to take KKR over the line with two balls to spare.

Parag admitted to misjudging the surface, which offered significant spin, and acknowledged that their total was far below the competitive 170 they had targeted. He cited dropped catches—notably a missed chance to dismiss Rinku on 8—and undisciplined bowling lines as key factors in the defeat.

"We assessed it was a 170 wicket. So we were dead under par. It was our game. No excuses there. We can't be dropping catches. We can't be bowling lines that favour the batsmen. There was a lot of spin on the wicket. The way Jaddu, Bishi and Punja bowled, I thought the way forward was spin [and hence he bowled an over]. Brijesh was almost there to bowl the 14th and the 16th [overs] as well," Parag said during the post-match presentation.

Parag explained that RR relied heavily on spin due to the pitch conditions and the high number of left-handed batters in the KKR lineup.

"But they lost wickets, and there were left-handers. So I bowled... Once Bishnoi's over was done, I felt spinners might go [for runs] here, given the left-handers. I feel the game plan was there. It was a 170 wicket... we tried giving ourselves time, but it didn't come off. I felt Yash Raj Punja bowled really well. There were a few nerves in his first over," he added.

Despite the loss, Rajasthan Royals currently sit third in the IPL 2026 points table with 8 points from 6 games. They will next face Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 22.

(With ANI Inputs)