Riyan Parag admits to vaping offence, BCCI punishes RR captain with fine

Riyan Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals, has been handed a fine and a demerit point by the BCCI after being caught vaping in the dressing room during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Punjab Kings.

Parag has been fined 25% of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for "breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials," a BCCI release said on Thursday.

"Riyan was found to have breached Article 2.21 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which relates to “conduct that brings the game into disrepute.”

Riyan Parag admits to vaping offence

The BCCI added that Riyan has "admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee, Amit Sharma.

The BCCI has also taken the matter very seriously, and is "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."

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According to reports, Parag was served a notice on 3- April, and while the RR captain had the option to appeal, he decided to admit to the offence.

While the entire incident created a massive controversy as e-cigarettes are prohibited under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019, former international umpire Anil Chaudhary claimed that it was an unnecessary distraction.

"I do not know the legal aspects, but certainly, government rules and other regulations will be there. Sometimes these cameras can go anywhere, so all players should be very careful. These are young lads; they do not know that sometimes they can be caught anywhere except the toilet, so boys should be careful. I think on TV, good things should be shown, and we should discuss the game rather than other things," Chaudhary told IANS.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals will hope that this is the last controversy for them in the ongoing IPL 2026.

Before Parag, the team manager, Romi Bhinder, was caught using a mobile phone during a match in the dugout.

The BCCI's anti-corruption unit, however, cleared him of any wrongdoing and the official was fined just Rs 1 lakh for the offence.