Watch: Harshal Patel, Riyan Parag get involved in a heated exchange during RCB vs RR game in Pune

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag was involved in a heated exchange with Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Harshal Patel during Tuesday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium. Later after the match, Patel refused to exchange a handshake and moved away when Parag extended the courtesy.

It all started in the final over of Rajasthan’s innings when Parag slammed Patel for a whopping 18 runs. The youngster finished the innings in style with a maximum. While leaving the ground during the innings break, Parag was seen talking with RCB pacer Mohammad Siraj.

Suddenly Patel got involved in the conversation and responded to Parag. Then matters got heated. Other players and the support staff present on the field interfered, pulling back both the players back to cool down the situation.

Watch the clip here:

While many thought the exchange was a heat of the moment thing, Patel felt differently. After the match, the 31-year-old denied shaking hands with Parag and ambled away without even looking at him. The incident was captured by cameras and soon went viral. Watch the moment here:

Parag single-handedly anchored the Rajasthan innings to help put up a decent total of 144/8. He smashed 56 runs off 31 deliveries with an impressive strike rate of 180.64. In the last over, bowled by Patel, Parag splintered the pacer with a boundary and two sixes, adding a crucial 18 runs for his team. The last over turned out to be the costliest one for the RCB’s bowling side.

In reply, RCB got bundled out for 115 runs and suffered their second loss on the trot.

Parag was named the Player of the Match for his splendid batting performance as well as taking four important catches to seal the deal for the Royals. With the defeat, RCB lost their top-four spot while Rajasthan cemented their position at the top of the table.