Rajasthan Royals kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a dominant win against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati on Monday, March 30. Bowlers and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi emerged as heroes for the Royals, while the Super Kings failed to meet expectations in the absence of MS Dhoni.

After being forced to bat first, Chennai Super Kings’ openers Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad were dismissed in the first three overs. Rajasthan’s pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger then never let CSK batters overcome the early setbacks. Ravindra Jadeja also contributed with two wickets in an over, reminding his old employers it was a mistake to trade him.

Rajasthan Royals stuck with their core setup and finished the game without any fight from the Super Kings’ injury-depleted bowling attack. There were a few positive performances from the five-time champions, but the hosts dominated the third match of the IPL 2026.

RR vs CSK Player Ratings:

Chennai Super Kings Player Ratings in RR vs CSK game

1. Sanju Samson (wk) – 2

A player who led India to the T20 World Cup earlier this month failed to make an impact on his CSK debut. Batting against his former team, Sanju Samson managed to score just 6 runs off 7 balls.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) – 2

Chennai Super Kings’ captain struggled to connect his shots before getting bowled out by Archer in the third over. Gaiwakad scored just 6 runs off 11 balls in a disappointing night for the CSK fans.

3. Ayush Mhatre – 1

A golden duck for the young CSK batsman. He didn’t get a chance to bowl after being subbed off for another batter.

4. Matthew Short – 1

The Australian failed to impress in Dewald Brevis’ absence as he scored just 2 runs off 7 balls.

5. Sarfaraz Khan (impact player) – 4

Sarfaraz was not part of the playing XI, but an early collapse led to his introduction as No. 5. He showed an attacking intent by scoring a quick 17 off 12 balls but was not able to convert.

6. Kartik Sharma – 5

A big-money debutant started with a six to display his big-hitting skills and later also played a mature role to score 18 runs off 15 balls, the second-highest for the traveling side.

7. Shivam Dube – 3

Dube smashed Jadeja for a six on the very first ball he faced but lost his wicket three balls later while attempting another maximum. A disappointing batting from the senior CSK all-rounder.

8. Jamie Overton – 7

The English bowling all-rounder top-scored with 43 runs off 36 balls and was the only CSK player to show some resistance against RR’s fierce bowling attack. However, he proved costly with a ball, leaking 14 runs in an over.

9. Noor Ahmad – 1

The Afghan spinner scored just 1 run off 9 balls and also gave away 24 runs in his two-over spell.

10. Matt Henry – 1

The Kiwi speedster is leading CSK’s bowling attack this season but failed to contain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He leaked 40 runs in three overs without any success.

11. Anshul Kamboj – 6

Anshul Kamboj scored an unbeaten 7 runs off 10 balls and was the only wicket-taker for CSK. He took two wickets while conceding 27 runs in his 3 overs.

12. Khaleel Ahmed – 6

The left-arm pacer was brilliant with the ball as he conceded just 17 runs off his three overs. He was unlucky with the wickets but managed to impress with his length in the RR vs CSK game.

Rajasthan Royals Player Ratings in RR vs CSK game

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal – 6

The young Indian opener struggled to find his momentum for a big shot despite playing 36 balls, over twice that Sooryavanshi played. He scored odd 38 runs with the help of four boundaries.

2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 9

The baby monster lived up to his reputation by smashing a 15-ball fifty, the third joint-fastest in IPL history. However, it came after he survived a dropped catch on the very first ball.

3. Dhruv Jurel – 7

Rajasthan Royals’ new No. 3 played a cameo role and showed intent to finish the game early. He smashed 18 off 9 balls and was brilliant with the keeper’s gloves.

4. Riyan Parag – 6

Parag remained not out on 14 runs off 11 balls. He failed to finish the game when he had a chance in the 12th over. However, he showed his leadership skills while fielding to kick off his captaincy debut for the Royals.

5. Shimron Hetmyer – 2

The Caribbean star was tipped to bat at No. 3 after his recent success in international cricket but didn’t get a chance to bat.

6. Ravindra Jadeja – 8

Coming through a big-money trade, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube in the same over to show CSK what they were missing.

7. Jofra Archer – 9

The English bowler produced an extra pace and bounce in early overs to bag two big wickets and emerged as the Royals’ best bowler with 2 for 19 figures.

8. Ravi Bishnoi – 8

The debutant spinner took one wicket for 16 in his three overs to contribute to RR’s dominant win.

9. Brijesh Sharma – 7

The IPL debutant had a brilliant night in Guwahati as he claimed Kartik Sharma’s wicket and leaked only 5.66 runs per over.

10. Sandeep Sharma – 6

To everyone’s surprise, the experienced Sandeep Sharma emerged as the costliest bowler for the Royals, leaking 22 runs in his 2.4 overs.

11. Nandre Burger – 9

The South African bowler bowled out Sanju Samson with a brilliant delivery and then also trapped Ayush Mhatre with a perfect bouncer. With two for 26 figures, Burger clinched the Player of the Match award in the RR vs CSK game.