CSK only managed 127 against RR in their IPL 19 opening game.
Ambati Rayudu, who won three IPL titles with the Chennai Super Kings, was not happy with the batting show put on by CSK in their IPL 2026 opening game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 30, 2026. This game was played in Guwahati and saw local boy and RR captain Riyan Parag winning the toss and opting to bowl first.
On a pitch that helped the bowlers, CSK batting failed completely as openers Sanju Samson and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad fell for six runs each. The fall of wickets stemmed from Sarfaraz Khan and Kartik Sharma scoring 17 and 18 runs, respectively. However, it was Jamie Overton’s 43 that took CSK to a decent 127 runs total.
The overall performance raised severe concerns, with the batting unit seeming rusty, fragmented, and far below the standards expected of a team with such pedigree.
Ambati Rayudu cited poor shot selection and a lack of early application as the primary reasons for the visitors' low score in Guwahati, emphasizing how the innings slid away during the powerplay.
"Definitely, the conditions were tough, but a little application was needed. They had the batsman to do that. Unfortunately, the shot selection was not great, especially in the first 4-5 overs. That's where the batting innings was lost. If they had lost two fewer wickets in that period, maybe they would have gone on to score 150 or 160, which would have been quite tough to chase on this pitch," Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo.
Rayudu went on to emphasize that the Chennai Super Kings needed to use the bat much more, saying that even though the team could take some time to settle, such a performance could not be justified.
"A little more application was needed. You can say it's a young side as well. Maybe they need a little bit of time to gel in and, you know, get the innings and the squad going, but no excuses to be honest," the 40-year-old added.
RR chased down the total with 7.5 overs to spare thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 52 and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 38*.