RR vs CSK: Vaibhav Goes on the Attack—Rajasthan Crushes CSK to Record Their Biggest Victory

Indian cricket’s young sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, unleashed such a batting onslaught at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Monday that the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), were left completely humbled. Chasing a target of 128 runs, Rajasthan Royals secured victory in just 12.1 overs, powered by Vaibhav’s blistering innings.

The 15-year-old Vaibhav smashed a whirlwind half-century off just 15 balls—tied for the third-fastest fifty in the history of the IPL. His innings featured five sixes and four fours, making him only the fifth batsman in IPL history to reach a half-century in 15 deliveries.

Vaibhav Strikes from the Very First Ball

Vaibhav has made consistent strides since his record-breaking century last season, and his extraordinary talent was on full display in this match. Batting aggressively, he tore the CSK bowlers to shreds. Vaibhav began his innings by smashing a four off Matt Henry.

Suryavanshi turned the match into a one-sided affair by 18 runs in a single over. In that same over, Kartik Sharma also dropped his catch—a reprieve he capitalized on to the fullest. Among his magnificent shots, a six hit over the point region off a slower delivery from Matt Henry stood out as a particular highlight.

He also completed his half-century by smashing two sixes against spinner Noor Ahmad. His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal (38*), played with composure while rotating the strike, and Captain Riyan Parag (14*) completed the formalities to guide the team to a comfortable victory.

Chennai Appears Disjointed Without Dhoni

Playing without Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the first time since 2019, Chennai was brought to its knees by the Rajasthan bowlers. It was a poor start for CSK; without Dhoni, a young squad crumbled under pressure on a pitch that, due to rain, had remained under covers for an extended period.

Things began to spiral out of control rapidly for Chennai after Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad lost the toss. Archer and Burger made full use of the assistance provided by the pitch, dismissing Sanju Samson, Ruturaj, and Ayush Mhatre within the Powerplay itself to put CSK on the back foot. Sandeep Sharma further intensified the pressure by dismissing Matt Short at the very end of the Powerplay, causing CSK’s innings to falter.

Rajasthan Royals Record Their Biggest-Ever IPL Victory

15-Year-Old Suryavanshi Blazes a Half-Century in Just 15 Balls

After 277 matches, this marked the first instance where the Chennai Super Kings took the field without both ‘Thala’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni and ‘Chinna Thala’ Suresh Raina in the lineup.

This was also the first time since 2020 that Sanju Samson was dismissed in his opening match of an IPL season without scoring a half-century.

Batting first, Chennai posted a total of 127 runs. In response, Rajasthan successfully chased down the target of 128 runs in just 12.1 overs, losing only two wickets in the process. The team secured the victory with 47 balls to spare—marking their biggest win in IPL history in terms of balls remaining.

Prior to this, in 2014, Rajasthan had achieved a victory against RCB with 42 balls to spare. This marks Rajasthan’s 16th victory against Chennai in the IPL. With this result, Rajasthan has now moved into a tie for the second spot on this list alongside Punjab Kings. Mumbai Indians currently hold the top spot on this list, having defeated Chennai the highest number of times. Rajasthan’s Biggest Run Chases

RR vs CSK, Guwahati, with 47 balls remaining – Won by 8 wickets (2026)

RR vs RCB, Abu Dhabi, with 42 balls remaining – Won by 6 wickets (2014)

RR vs Mumbai Indians, Wankhede, with 41 balls remaining – Won by 10 wickets (2011)

RR vs Kolkata, Eden Gardens, with 41 balls remaining – Won by 9 wickets (2023)

RR vs Kochi, Jaipur, with 35 balls remaining – Won by 8 wickets (2011)

RR vs Chennai Super Kings, with 34 balls remaining – Won by 8 wickets (2008)

Jadeja Shines, Sanju Disappoints

A notable highlight of this contest was that both teams had swapped their star players prior to the season. Ravindra Jadeja is now playing for Rajasthan, while Sanju Samson took the field for Chennai. However, Jadeja clearly held the upper hand in this match. Jadeja dealt a crushing blow to Chennai by claiming the crucial wickets of Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube in his very first over. On the other hand, Samson’s debut for Chennai was rather unremarkable.

This was the first instance since 2020 that Sanju was dismissed in the opening match of the IPL without scoring a half-century. Sanju (06) attempted to play a big shot off Nandre Burger’s bowling, but the ball seamed away, uprooting his off stump.

During the Powerplay, Jofra Archer dealt a major blow by dismissing Captain Ruturaj, while Burger maintained the pressure by taking wickets in quick succession. At one point, he even came close to claiming a hat-trick. Having lost six wickets for just 57 runs within eight overs, the Chennai team found itself in deep trouble. Sarfaraz (17) and Shivam Dube (6) also failed to withstand the guile of Jadeja’s spin bowling. Consequently, staging a comeback became an extremely difficult task for the team.