Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad did not mince words after his team suffered a heavy eight-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 opener on Monday. Asked to bat first, CSK were bundled out for a mere 127, with Jamie Overton emerging as the top-scorer with 43 runs. Rajasthan Royals then made light work of the chase, overhauling the target with 7.5 overs to spare, thanks largely to a blistering 52 off just 17 balls from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
It was a disastrous outing for CSK’s top order, as the team slumped to 51/5 within just 7.2 overs, leaving them with little chance of recovery.
Speaking to the host broadcasters after the loss, Gaikwad admitted that his side failed to put runs on the board and credited the Rajasthan Royals bowlers for executing their plans to perfection.
“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,” said Jadeja during the post-match interaction.
“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,” he added.
Coming to the match, Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in the IPL 2026 season opener at Guwahati. RR’s bowlers bundled them out for 127 in 19.4 overs.
In reply, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi starred with a 17-ball 52, the second-fastest fifty for RR, and shared a 75-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal (38*).
(With ANI Inputs)