Rajasthan Royals kicked off IPL 2026 in style. Vaibhav Suryavanshi's blistering half-century helped Rajasthan win the match by 8 wickets ...read more

Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets thanks to a brilliant bowling performance. CSK were out of form in this match and their season started on a disappointing note. Meanwhile, Rajasthan made a great start under the captaincy of Riyan Parag. Batting first, Chennai were all out for 127 runs and Rajasthan were given a target of 128 runs to win.

The opening batsmen, captained by Riyan Parag, batted superbly. Opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi batted brilliantly, scoring a half-century off just 15 balls. With this, he ensured the team's victory in the first six overs in response to Chennai's modest target of 127 runs. Rajasthan won the match by eight wickets.

Rajasthan Royals won the match

Chasing a target of 128, Rajasthan got off to a flying start. Openers Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 75 runs for the first wicket. With this, Chennai were eliminated in the powerplay. Suryavanshi played a brilliant innings, scoring a half-century in 15 balls and was dismissed for 52 runs off 17 balls. He was sent off by Anshul Kamboj. However, by that time, he had already turned the match into a one-sided affair for the team.

Apart from Vaibhav, Yashasvi Jaiswal played a slow but sensible innings. He scored an unbeaten 38 off 36 balls and played a key role in the team's victory. With this, Rajasthan won the match. Anshul Kamboj was successful for Chennai, taking two wickets.

CSK without Dhoni for the first time since 2019

Chennai Super Kings, without Thala Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the first time since 2019, were brought to their knees by the Rajasthan Royals bowlers. Five-time champions CSK didn't have a good start, and without Dhoni, a young team collapsed in difficult conditions at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on a pitch that had been under cover for a long time due to rain. Things quickly went wrong for Chennai after captain Ruturaj Gaikwad lost the toss.

Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger took full advantage of the pitch's assistance and dismissed Sanju Samson, Ruturaj, and Ayush Mhatre in the powerplay, putting CSK on the back foot. Sandeep Sharma increased the pressure by dismissing Matt Short at the end of the powerplay, causing CSK's innings to falter. Chennai were all out for 127 in 19.4 overs. The highlight of this match was that both teams had swapped their star players before the season.

Ravindra Jadeja has the upper hand

Ravindra Jadeja now plays for Rajasthan, while Sanju Samson represents Chennai. However, Jadeja had the upper hand in this match. He broke Chennai's back by taking the crucial wickets of Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dubey in his very first over. Samson, on the other hand, had a less than impressive debut for Chennai.

Bad start for Sanju

Taking full advantage of the pitch covered due to rain, Rajasthan bowlers kept Chennai batsmen under complete pressure. Playing against his old team, Sanju Samson did not have a good start and this was the first time since 2020 that he was out without scoring a half-century in his first IPL match. Sanju (06) tried to play a big shot on Nandre Burger's ball, but the ball seamed out and his off stump was uprooted. In the powerplay, Jofra Archer gave a big blow by dismissing captain Ruturaj, while Burger maintained the pressure by taking wickets continuously.

At one point, he came close to a hat-trick. Chennai, having lost six wickets for 57 runs in eight overs, was in trouble. Sarfaraz Khan (17) and Shivam Dube (6) also failed to withstand Jadeja's spin. After this, it became extremely difficult for the team to make a comeback. Although Jamie Overton tried to stabilize the innings with a 36-ball 43, he lacked support from the other batsmen. Rajasthan's bowlers maintained the pressure until the end, bundling out the entire team for 127 runs. Archer, Burger, and Jadeja took two wickets each for Rajasthan, while Brijesh Sharma, playing his first match, also made an impact, taking one wicket.

PC:Jagran