Aakash Chopra, a former Indian cricketer, recently criticized a well-known media outlet for reaching a "new low" in clickbait journalism. This arose after a story circulated on social media stating that Riyan Parag offered 10,000 INR to a fan for caressing his feet during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium.

The incident had happened when Riyan Parag was bowling and a fan ran onto the field and fell at his feet. Then security came and escorted the fan out, who was ecstatic to see Assam’s own Riyan Parag captaining an IPL franchise on his home ground.

Chopra chastised the media source for spreading unproven rumors with no verifiable evidence. He pointed out that the story did not explain how the media house determined the payment, emphasizing the lack of journalistic integrity. Chopra advocated for more ethical reporting in sports media.

“Stumbled upon this article. Headline is explosive, obviously. But there’s nothing mentioned in the article about how they figured out that Riyan paid a fan to touch his feet. NOTHING at all. In the world of click-bait journalism, this is a new low. And this is mainstream media, btw,” Chopra wrote on X.

Parag, who is captaining the RR in first three matches due to Sanju Samson’s injury, and the Royals have not had the best of luck in the competition so far. Parag has only scored 29 runs in two matches, averaging 14.50.

The Royals opened their campaign with a 44-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which was followed by an eight-wicket defeat against KKR. RR is located at the bottom of the table, with a net run rate of -1.882.