Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 3rd Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - Commentary

A forgettable opener for Chennai Super Kings. From the toss onwards, very little went their way. Early wickets exposed an inexperienced middle order, and barring Jamie Overton, there was hardly anything of substance in their batting effort. The bowling lacked bite, the fielding was below par - and across all three departments, there’s plenty for them to tighten before the next outing. For Rajasthan Royals, this couldn’t have been scripted any better. The bowlers set it up with a disciplined, all-round effort, and Sooryavanshi announced himself in style, turning the chase into a spectacle with a breathtaking assault. That’s all from this game. We will be back tomorrow as Punjab Kings take on Gujarat Titans. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Nandre Burger | Player of the Match: Firstly, all glory to God - it feels great to contribute to a win for the team and get us off to a good start (on his performance). Watching the previous games with big scores, you naturally prepare for chasing something big, so winning the toss and getting the ball first was massive for us and helped us get off to a strong start (on conditions and match situation). The plan is always to get every batter out - I can’t really say I meant to bowl that exact delivery to Sanju Samson, it just happened, you can call it natural variation - but overall the idea was to bowl tight lines and make batters hit into the areas we wanted, so I’m glad it worked in my favour today. The dressing room feels pretty similar to before - there are a few new faces and changes like the coach and captain, but the energy is good, everyone is smiling, and hopefully this is a positive start so we can keep that momentum going (on team environment).

Riyan Parag | RR captain: I got lucky with the toss, but I think the way we executed it, we had like a couple of days' practice, I think, before CSK arrived, and it was a red-soil wicket, but then it was a lot of rain as well, so we knew the moisture was going to play a part. And yeah, I think everyone executed plans really nicely. (On being RR's full-time captain) Definitely like this better. A lot of preparation has gone into this. I know me being captain is one part which I should be happy about and I should thank the franchise for it, but then the goal this year is to win the trophy, and we've put in a lot of time towards planning, strategizing. I've said this in an interview before that we want to be a team that plays smart cricket. We want to assess conditions really well and adapt to it. And I think that we did that pretty well today. (On the bowlers) Everyone who came in, Jof and Nandre, we expect that from them every single time, they were rapid. Sandy bhaiya (Sandeep Sharma) doing his job. Jaddu bhaiya coming in, I think Guwahati suited him a little bit more. And then Brijesh, the youngster, I think him coming in first game against CSK with the packed crowd, what he did was insane, so I'm really looking forward to the season. (What do you tell Vaibhav?) What I tell him is that you're going to play 14 games and regardless of what goes on in the game, it shouldn't bother you. What goes around in the media shouldn't bother you. You just go out there. He loves to bat. I've made sure I've told the coaches that he gets as much batting as he wants. And he goes and does some things like that. So I think me and Dhruv, when we were sitting there till the fourth over, we were just in awe. Like, what is happening? Like, how is he doing this? But then I'm really happy to have him in my team. (Is this going to be RR's batting order) Yes, that is what we've been planning on. Dhruv comes in at three, Hettie (Hetmyer) bats at five, because I think we need that lefty-righty in the later half of the innings as well. So hopefully this sticks and we win a few games with this batting line-up.

47 balls remaining is the biggest win for RR and the second-heaviest defeat for CSK after 59 balls against KKR at Chepauk last year in terms of balls left in IPL.

Least overs taken to complete a 120-plus chase in IPL
9.4 - SRH vs LSG, Hyderabad, 2024 (Tar: 166)
11.1 - KXIP vs KKR, Kolkata, 2018 (Tar: 125)
12.0 - Deccan vs MI, DY Patil, 2008 (Tar: 155)
12.1 - RR vs CSK, Guwahati, 2026 (Tar: 128)*

Most wins against CSK in IPL
21 - MI
16 - PBKS / RR*
13 - RCB
12 - DC
11 - KKR

Since 2020, Rajasthan Royals have won 9 out of the 11 games against CSK.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi:  (Translated from Hindi) - I didn’t really do anything outside - there was supposed to be a cake cutting, but I went to sleep early to avoid the cake-smearing (on how he celebrated his birthday). The plan today was simply to execute well in the powerplay - initially the wicket felt a bit sticky, but as the ball got older, it started coming onto the bat nicely (on his batting approach). I do think about defence, but today our plan was to control the game in the powerplay because in a small chase, that phase is crucial - if the bowling team does well there, the game can tilt their way, but our powerplay went really well (on his aggressive intent). The coaches didn’t specifically say that bowlers would attack me - everyone else was already saying that - but they just told me that they back me and that I should stick to my natural game and play according to the situation (on guidance from the support staff). My opening partner (Jaiswal) keeps communicating with me after every ball - he tells me when to take singles, keeps giving me the strike, and encourages me to keep playing my shots if the ball is coming nicely onto the bat (on partnership understanding).

Ruturaj Gaikwad | CSK captain: (Frustrated?) Not much, to be honest. I felt the conditions at the start were really tough, especially when facing Jofra and Burger. They bowled brilliant lengths and even after that, to a medium-pacer it was slightly tough. You could see even the spinners were getting some assistance as well. Yes, we would have been better in batting, we would have taken the game deep, showed some batsmanship, maybe take the game till 150-160. But, nowadays, you never know what's a good score, so you just have to keep going. So I think it just one of those days where the wicket was slightly on the tougher side. So not frustrated at all. (Do you reassess as a group?) You just put it behind and move on. We've got a game in another three days. Make sure that everyone is in a good headspace. One good thing is, a lot of youngsters in the group. So, probably a nervy start for everyone, but good to get a game behind and good to start with lot of mistakes. Hopefully it will be just improvement after here. I'm someone who's not a firm believer of going all the way. But, with the impact player, you never really know what's the good score or what's the par score. So you don't really often see games going down the line till the 20th over when you're defending 150, 160 or 170. So I think it's just about backing yourself, backing your game for the batsmen. If you have it in your area, just make sure you go for it. Today it didn't work but we can be better in batsmanship. You just have to be positive, especially when you're batting first. If conditions are good, you never know, the same batting line-up can put a good score.

22:38 Local Time, 17:08 GMT: A thumping statement to kick-off the season for Rajasthan Royals. New captain Riyan Parag won a good toss, and his bowlers backed it up with a complete, collective effort - every single one chipping in with a wicket to keep Chennai Super Kings down to 127. It was always under par, but what followed made it look even smaller. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turned the chase into a one-man exhibition. Dropped first ball, he made CSK pay instantly - taking the attack apart and racing to a jaw-dropping 15-ball fifty. The powerplay yielded 74, and with that burst, the contest was effectively done and dusted. Though Sooryavanshi fell soon after reaching his milestone, the damage had long been inflicted. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Parag calmly finished the formalities, sealing the chase with nearly 8 overs to spare. Presentations coming up..

Rajasthan Royals review! Parag has taken a review for a non-wide call. It is a bouncer from Henry and Parag reckons it is too high. "It is above head height," informs Virender Sharma. The decision will be overturned.