IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals win toss, opt to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings
Guwahati, March 30
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season on Monday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium here.
After winning the toss, RR Captain Riyan Parag said that the wet conditions from recent rain are the reason he has opted to bowl first. He expressed excitement about captaining the team and praised the strong support, emphasising that the Royals aim to have a successful season.
"We are bowling first. There's been a lot of rain. There's going to be some moisture. It feels nice (to be captaining), the support has been incredible. Hopefully, a good campaign for us. The goal is to win the championship. We tried to have a lot of smart cricketers," Riyan Parag said at the toss.
Both Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were involved in a high-profile trade ahead of this year's IPL auction, where RR traded away Sanju Samson to CSK in exchange for the Chennai-based franchise's players Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
RR start the new season under the leadership of Riyan Parag, signalling a fresh chapter after the exit of longtime franchise face Sanju Samson.
With matches at his home ground, Parag will aim to lead by example as the Royals will look to improve on last season's ninth-place finish.
The five-time champions CSK, after ending last season at the bottom of the table in 2025, will also look to kick off the season strongly as they chase their sixth IPL title under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
RR and CSK playing 11s:
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma.
RR Impact Subs: Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Tushar Deshpande.
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma(w), Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.
CSK Impact Subs: Sarfaraz Khan, Prashanth Veer, Rahul Chahar, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a neutral fan, this is a fascinating match-up. Trading Sanju Samson to CSK is huge! It's strange to see him in yellow. Both teams have a point to prove after last season. Should be a cracker!
Riyan Parag as captain feels like a big gamble. He's talented but leading a team is different. Hope he proves everyone wrong. The real test will be how he manages senior players like Jadeja.
CSK at the bottom last year? Unthinkable! But that's IPL for you. Whistle Podu army is back, and with Sanju in the mix, things look interesting. Gaikwad needs to lead from the front. Let's start strong!
The team lineups look strong on paper. RR's bowling with Archer, Burger, and Sandeep Sharma could be lethal if there's genuine moisture. Jaiswal needs to give a flying start. 🤞
Honestly, I'm not fully convinced by the trade. Sanju was the heart of RR. Getting Jadeja is great, but losing your captain and wicketkeeper-batsman is a massive shift. Hope the management knows what they're doing.
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