Chennai Super Kings had the worst possible start to their IPL 2026 season on Monday. They were bowled out for just 127 against Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each and tore through CSK’s batting order.
RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bowl. The pitch had been under covers for a long time because of rain on match day and the day before. The wet surface gave his fast bowlers a big advantage right from the start.
Burger got the first wicket in the second over. He removed Sanju Samson for six with a ball that moved away and hit off stump. Archer then bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad, also for six.
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The CSK captain stepped away and missed a full, straight ball. Ayush Mhatre went next for a golden duck, caught behind off a Burger bouncer after a successful review. CSK were 19 for three inside four overs.
Sandeep Sharma got Matt Short in the last over of the powerplay. CSK struggled to 41 for four.
Things got even worse when Jadeja, back at RR after 17 years, took two wickets in his first over. He removed Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube to leave CSK at 57 for six.
Jamie Overton’s 43 off 36 balls was the only real fight from CSK. He and last man Anshul Kamboj put on 33 for the tenth wicket and pushed the total past 120. A mix up between the two ended Overton’s knock.
The small target was never going to trouble RR. Fifteen year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 15 ball half century. RR chased down 128 with eight wickets and nearly eight overs to spare.
It was a painful repeat of last season for CSK. They finished last in IPL 2025. Even with a new squad, the same batting problems that hurt them all through that season showed up again.
