RR vs CSK, IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Blitz To Nandre Burger’s Stunning Opening Spell, Follow Rajasthan’s Rout Of MS Dhoni-Less Chennai | In Pics
Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) woes were laid bare as they slid to an eight-wicket defeat in their IPL 2026 opener against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. With their top three dismissed cheaply, Jamie Overton’s 43 was the only silver lining as the five-time champions dragged themselves to 127. With Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni missing, the Yellow Army largely struggled to get to a competitive score. But the total was never going to be enough, especially with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the helm. The teenage prodigy blazed a 15-ball half-century as the Royals romped to victory with 47 balls and eight wickets to spare.
Riyan Parag and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Riyan Parag and Ruturaj Gaikwad clicks a picture before the toss ahead of the match. It was Parag's first match as Rajasthan Royals' full-time captain and had won the toss. (Image Credits: IPL X)
Nandre Burger.
Nandre Burger castled the dangerous Sanju Samson for 6 in his first over. The left-arm seamer also dismissed Ayush Mhatre for a duck to claim figures of 4-0-26-2, thereby earning the Player of the Match award. (Credits: IPL X)
Jofra Archer and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Rajasthan Royals speedster Jofra Archer continued the good work done by Nandre Burger. Archer returned for his second over to rearrange the CSK's skipper stumps for 6. (Image Credits: IPL X)
Sandeep Sharma.
Sandeep Sharma, another incisive Rajasthan Royals seamer, dismissed Matt Short, who also perished for a single-figure score. Sandeep finished with a haul of 2.4-0-22-1. (Image Credits: IPL X)
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja bowled only three overs on the night but his two wickets came in the first. The Saurashtra all-rounder trapped Sarfaraz Khan lbw and followed it up by inducing a false shot off Shivam Dube. (Image Credits: IPL X)
Brijesh Sharma celebrates a wicket.
Hailing from a very humble background, Brijesh Sharma was snapped by the Rajasthan Royals for ₹30 lakh and made his debut against CSK. Noor Ahmad proved to be his first IPL wicket as the 27-year-old took tidy figures of 3-0-17-1.
Jamie Overton.
Chennai Super Kings' bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton was the silver lining of their otherwise insipid batting unit. His 36-ball 43 with two fours and as many sixes gave the Yellow Army something to bowl at. (Image Credits: CSK X)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Rajasthan Royals Vaibhav Sooryavanshi received a reprieve in the very first ball he faced as Kartik Sharma missed a simple catch, followed by surviving a reprieve in the next. However, the southpaw shut down any chances of CSK's comeback with a 17-ball 52 as the Royals romped to an eight-wicket victory. (Image Credits: IPL X)
