Chennai Super Kings faced a disappointing start to their IPL 2026 campaign as Rajasthan Royals dominated their opening match in Guwahati. Sent in to bat, CSK managed to post a modest total of 127 runs, their eighth lowest score in IPL history, before Royals completed the chase in just 12.1 overs. RR vs CSK, IPL 2026: highlighted | Achievement:

None of the key batsmen, including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and newly signed Sanju Samson, made an impact. The Super Kings were on the verge of being bowled out for less than 100, until all-rounder Jamie Overton, who came in at number eight, took the innings forward with 43 runs. He stitched a 33-run partnership with tail-ender Anshul Kamboj for the last wicket, which helped CSK avoid an embarrassing finish.

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In response, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi destroys CSK’s bowling attack With a blistering 50 runs in 15 balls. His innings, coming shortly after his 15th birthday, laid the foundation for a strong chase and a strong start to the Royals’ season.

Expectations were high from CSK’s revised lineup despite the absence of injured veterans MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis. With Samson entering the tournament fresh after winning the Player of the Tournament award at the recent T20 World Cup, many were expecting a strong batting performance from the five-time champions.

However, the circumstances remained against the Super Kings. The pitch, which was wet due to rain before the match, provided movement to Rajasthan’s new bowlers Joffra Archer and Nandre Berger, who effectively exploited the swing during the powerplay.

CSK’s top order faltered in the beginning. Samson fell in the second over, followed by Gaikwad, who was struggling to find form before being dismissed by Archer. Burger then dismissed India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Ayush Mhatre with a sharp bouncer for a duck. Debutant Matt Short was also dismissed by Sandeep Sharma in the powerplay.

The Super Kings innings further collapsed when Sarfaraz Khan’s brief resistance ended against Ravindra Jadeja, who took two wickets in his first over for Rajasthan. Jadeja, who was traded from CSK to Royals this season, overtook his former teammates including spin-hitter Shivam Dubey.

CSK’s innings never recovered from 57 runs for 6 wickets in the eighth over. Despite contributions from debutant Karthik Sharma, who scored 18, and Overton who scored 43, the total remained below par. CSK’s bowling attack lacked the penetration shown by Rajasthan’s pace bowlers on a damp surface, with Suryavanshi taking advantage of the conditions to leave the Super Kings without a reply. CSK, who were struggling with injuries, had a difficult opening match and their fans were disappointed with the performance of the five-time champions.

This is how fans reacted to CSK’s disappointing performance on Monday in Guwahati.

However, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad minimized the impact of the defeat, saying that the young group will learn from the defeat and improve in the coming days.

“You just put it behind you and move on. We have another game in three days. It’s important to make sure everyone is in good shape. One positive is that we have a lot of youngsters in our group. It was probably a nervous start for many of them, but it’s good to get a game under our belt and it’s even better to start with a few mistakes. Hopefully it will only improve from here,” Ruturaj said after the eight-wicket loss.

CSK will host Punjab Kings on Friday, April 3, before traveling to Bengaluru for a crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, April 5. With MS Dhoni out for the first two weeks of the IPL, CSK will be hoping that Dewald Brevis will return from injury in time for the crucial weekend fixtures.

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