KOLKATA,MARCH 31,2026: CSK’s (Chennai Super Kings) batting order was smashed by the bowling storm of RR(Rajasthan Royals), and RR snatched the victory with an electrifying knock of 50 runs in 15 balls by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest player of the IPL. RR started their campaign this IPL season with a remarkable win against five-time champions CSK at their second home ground in Guwahati.
CSK started their season in the absence of their talisman player M.S. Dhoni due to a calf injury. The team is suffering from several injured players just before the IPL started. Last season, they ended at the very bottom of the table. They began this season with a new squad, but nothing seems to have changed—it feels very similar to last year.
After winning the toss, RR chose to bowl first. CSK opened with T20 champion player of the tournament 2026, Sanju Samson, and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Both got early dismissals after disappointing performances. Sanju got out to Nandre Burger after scoring 6 runs in 7 balls. After leaving RR and joining CSK, this was his first match against his former team, but he could not do much. Ruturaj got out after scoring 6 runs in 11 balls, bowled by Jofra Archer. The energetic young player Ayush Mhatre, the winning captain of the Under-19 World Cup 2026, also got out for a duck, caught by Dhruv Jurel and bowled by Nandre Burger. Then M. Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, and Shivam Dube came in but got out early after scoring only a few runs. The bowling lineup broke the top order within the powerplay and continued their dominance afterward as well. Ravindra Jadeja also played his first match as an RR player after being released by CSK. He took two wickets (Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube) with his bowling. Nandre Burger took two major wickets with his stunning bowling action and became the Player of the Match. CSK lost 9 wickets before even reaching 100 on the scoreboard. Jamie Overton played well and scored 43 runs in 36 balls, which helped the team cross 100. However, he got run out, and CSK were all out in 19.4 overs with a total of 127 for RR to chase. RR delivered a dominant performance with excellent bowling, fielding, and wicketkeeping. Although the pitch was batting-friendly, it assisted pacers in the early overs due to moisture and the new ball.
The second innings started with openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The 15-year-old scored 50 runs in just 15 balls—a magnificent performance. Last season, he made his IPL debut at the age of 14 with a century in his very first match. He also played a crucial role in India’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 victory. Now, he has inserted his name into the list of fastest fifties in IPL history (Jaiswal is at the top of the list, scoring 50 runs in 13 balls against KKR in 2023). With this remarkable knock, he paved the way for RR’s victory against CSK. He got out after completing his job, scoring 52 runs in 17 balls, caught by Sarfaraz Khan bowled by Anshul Kamboj. Then Dhruv Jurel came in and scored 18 runs off 9 balls before getting out again to Anshul Kamboj. After that, the captain came in at number 4, and Jaiswal and Riyan Parag finished the match comfortably. Jaiswal delivered a very solid performance.
With this win, RR not only started their campaign with a victory but also made a strong comeback this season. Riyan Parag performed much better as captain compared to last season. On the other hand, CSK started their season with trouble and disappointment.
CSK have their second match against PBKS (Punjab Kings) on April 3. It will be interesting to see how they overcome this situation.
