March 31, 2026

IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals pace battery demolishes CSK batting before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind knock secures dominant win

IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals pace battery demolishes CSK batting before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind knock secures dominant win

New-look Chennai Super Kings’ attacking approach falls flat as seamers set up big win for Rajasthan Royals.

Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals. Sanju Samson in yellow and Ravindra Jadeja in pink. All the talk in the lead-up to the fixture was on the two players who had exchanged their home bases. And Round 1 went Jadeja’s way, as the left-arm spinner played a supporting role to the pacers to give Royals a winning start to the season. From the moment the coin fell their way, they hardly put a foot wrong. Their pace pack, led by Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, set up the win in the Powerplay itself.

Chasing 128 on a tacky pitch, Rajasthan didn’t blink. And leading their charge was 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hit a 15-ball half-century. His 52 off 17 deliveries, comprising four boundaries and five sixes, made Chennai freeze. The two sixes off Noor Ahmad showed his continuing evolution. After the multiple blows that they faced in the first half of the match, it was Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind knock that floored CSK.

Attacking approach falls flat

It was déjà vu for Chennai. Last season, when they finished at the bottom of the table, much of their problem was with the bat. In particular the Powerplay, where they lost wickets and were forced to play catch-up. The CSK management identified the issue and went for an overhaul, bringing in batsmen who provide intent at the top as well as in the middle order. The experience of yesteryear was lacking, but as head coach Stephen Fleming pointed out, if the pitches stayed batting-friendly, they had their bases covered.

Instead, at Guwahati, they faced conditions different from what has been served so far this season. Most T20 outfits wouldn’t enjoy such a pitch, which has been under covers for the last couple of days because of rain. A red soil pitch, with a bit of grass on it, was always going to be one the pacers would enjoy. And with Archer and Burger part of the XII, Riyan Parag had no hesitation in putting CSK in.

The movement off the surface was good enough to test batsmen, who seldom move their feet and rely on hand-speed. Archer hit the right notes early and tested the openers before Burger’s exaggerated movement had Samson’s stumps rattled. In the next over, Archer posed all sorts of questions to Ruturaj Gaikwad with his movement and pace. And with dot balls racking up, the CSK captain tried to break the shackles. The result was disturbed furniture. By the time Burger’s pinpoint bouncer brushed Ayush Mhatre’s glove off his first delivery, Rajasthan had landed three blows in a blink. That CSK had to turn to Sarfaraz Khan as Impact Player inside the fourth over summed up their night.

Before Matt Short became CSK’s fourth wicket to fall in the Powerplay, Sarfaraz did succeed in a bit of counter-attack. But it was short-lived just like Shivam Dube’s subsequent arrival and entry. Coming in after Jadeja had removed Sarfaraz, Dube clobbered the first ball out of sight. Two dot deliveries later, he holed out to long-off as a sinking feeling engulfed the CSK dugout.

Missing link: Application

CSK could feel that the conditions were an aberration and prefer not to dwell on it. But the shot selection was questionable. To show the world they breathed intent was a welcome change, but whether this was a suitable surface and did they again err in reading the conditions and adjusting their game would be valid questions.

As Gaikwad admitted at the toss, they were looking to bowl first as well. CSK should have put more sense into their approach, particularly when confronting Archer and Burger, who made full use of the overcast conditions. Gaikwad and Samson should have taken more responsibility when they knew the middle order was brittle. With the two seamers using their height to good effect and bowling Test match lengths, the need of the hour was to play sensible cricket in tune with the conditions. Even Dube, capable of changing the game on his own, fell into the trap.

While they may not confront such pitches often, it is pertinent to assess the conditions and adjust the par score and pace the innings accordingly. It is what CSK of yesteryear were good at. A total in the range of 160 could have run Royals close. But once CSK committed hara-kiri, 127 was too low a score to defend.

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Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 127 in 19.4 overs (Jamie Overton 43; Jofra Archer 2/19) lost to Rajasthan Royals 128/2 in 12.1 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 52; Anshul Kamboj 2/27) by eight wickets

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