Sooryavanshi slammed 52 off 17 balls, helping RR overhaul the target of 128 in just 12.1 overs.
The southpaw slammed 52 runs off just 17 balls, helping RR overhaul the target of 128 in just 12.1 overs. He reached his half-century in just 15 balls, which is the joint third-fastest fifty in IPL history.
Earlier, RR’s pace duo of Nandre Burger (2-26) and Jofra Archer (2-19) dismantled the CSK top-order in helpful bowling conditions, sharing four wickets between them. Ravindra Jadeja also haunted his former franchise with two wickets in a single over as RR restricted CSK to a modest 127/10 in 19.4 overs.
After a thumping eight-wicket win, RR skipper Riyan Parag admitted he "got lucky with the toss" on a red-soil wicket in Guwahati that had experienced rain. He mentioned that winning the toss allowed them to take advantage of the moisture in the pitch.
“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," Parag said at the post-match presentation.
Riyan Parag was named the Royals captain following Sanju Samson’s high-profile trade to CSK in exchange of Jadeja and Sam Curran.
Speaking on being RR's full-time captain, Parag said: “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," he added.
RR could have kept CSK below 100 if not for Jamie Overton’s 43-run contributions at No. 8. Parag praised his team's collective bowling effort.
“Everyone who came in, Jof and Nandre, we expect that from them every single time, they were rapid. Sandy bhaiya 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,” he remarked.
Parag expressed amazement at Sooryavanshi’s batting prowess, admitting he and teammate Dhruv Jurel were in awe.
“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," the RR captain said.
“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," he stated.
Parag also discussed the team's planned batting order, confirming that they aims to utilize a specific left-right batting combination to manage the innings. The strategy involves Jurel batting at number three and Shimron Hetmyer at number five.
“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," he concluded.