Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was caught on broadcast vaping in the team dressing room during RR's 28 April 2026 match against Punjab Kings — a Level 1 breach of the IPL Code of Conduct (Article 2.21, "conduct that brings the game into disrepute") that led to a 25 per cent match-fee fine and one demerit point. The incident reignited debate about senior-player behaviour and franchise discipline at the IPL's youngest captaincy.
Television cameras tracking the dressing room caught Parag, after his dismissal, lighting an e-cigarette. Vaping is illegal in India under the 2019 Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, and the IPL's Code of Conduct treats public conduct that "brings the game into disrepute" as a Level 1 sanctionable breach. The match referee acted within 24 hours.
Parag accepted the charge, paid the fine and recorded the demerit point. The broader question — whether the 24-year-old captain's appointment should survive the cumulative weight of poor form and the vape clip — was raised in subsequent reporting, with speculation that Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ravindra Jadeja could be considered for the captaincy. RR's franchise statement reaffirmed Parag as captain.
28 April 2026 — RR vs PBKS, Match 40
Parag dismissed; television cameras catch him lighting an e-cigarette in the dressing room
Vaping illegal in India under the 2019 Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act
BCCI match referee charges Parag under IPL Code of Conduct Article 2.21 within 24 hours
Fine: 25 per cent of match fee + 1 demerit point
RR confirms Parag continues as captain
Speculation around Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ravindra Jadeja as alternative captaincy options continues
Fined 25 per cent of match fee and given one demerit point under the IPL Code of Conduct's Article 2.21 (Level 1 — conduct bringing the game into disrepute). RR did not change the captaincy.
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Yuzvendra Chahal was allegedly captured vaping aboard a Punjab Kings team charter flight en route to Hyderabad ahead of the franchise's IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 6 May 2026. The footage surfaced from a behind-the-scenes vlog uploaded to social media by Chahal's PBKS teammate Arshdeep Singh, in which a figure appearing to be Chahal is visible with what observers identified as an electronic cigarette. The clip went viral within hours. Neither Chahal nor Arshdeep issued a public statement; Punjab Kings and the BCCI both remained silent. The controversy arrived just days after the BCCI had formally penalised Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag for vaping in the team dressing room — and before the board had yet issued its blanket vaping ban for IPL venues.