Rajasthan Royals might have snapped Punjab Kings’ winning streak on Wednesday, but the talk of the town wasn’t the scoreboard; it was Riyan Parag. Despite the high-intensity win, the RR skipper found himself at the centre of a social media firestorm after live cameras caught him vaping in the dressing room.
The footage went viral almost instantly, turning a hard-fought victory into a secondary storyline. While RR walked away with the points, the post-match buzz was dominated by the optics of Parag’s off-field moment, leaving the team’s clinical performance playing second fiddle to the online debate.
The incident occurred in the 16th over of the Rajasthan Royals’ chase, where Parag can be seen smoking a vape.
Parag’s actions have put him in a spot of trouble, with smoking strictly prohibited inside dressing rooms and across stadium premises, except in designated zones. The issue is further complicated by the legal status of e-cigarettes in India. Under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, the production, sale, purchase, import, export and advertisement of e-cigarettes and vapes are banned. Any violation of the law can attract strict penalties, including imprisonment and substantial fines, making the incident more than just a breach of basic stadium regulations.
The Act came into force on September 18, 2019. One of the key reasons for the ban is that it does not cover products licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
