Guwahati: Indian batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 15-ball half-century after an impressive show from the bowlers, setting up an emphatic eight-wicket win for Rajasthan Royals in their IPL opener against a sluggish Chennai Super Kings here on Monday.
Royals made good use of the overhead conditions to bowl out Chennai Super Kings for 127.
It was a forgettable batting performance for CSK, who were put in to bat by Riyan Parag on a pitch that had been under cover for a while due to rain.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has made massive strides in his career since his record hundred in the IPL last season. His rare talent was on full display against a hapless CSK attack.
With Sooryavanshi going ballistic from his end, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal was happy to give the strike back to the fellow left-hander. Royals raced to victory in 12.1 overs.
The result was a foregone conclusion after Sooryavanshi enjoyed an 18-run over. He was dropped by Kartik Sharma in that same over and duly made CSK pay heavily for that error.
Some of his awe inducing strokes included a six over point off a slower ball from New Zealand pacer Matt Henry.
Sooryavanshi became the third fastest to an IPL fifty with a couple of sixes off spinner Noor Ahmad.
Following his fall, Jaiswal (38 not out off 36) and Riyan Parag (14 not out off 11) completed the formalities for Royals with plenty to spare.
While the home team ticked all boxes, CSK looked completely out of sorts in their opener and will need to go back to the drawing board.
Both CSK and the Royals, the two bottom-placed teams last season, had traded their star players, Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson ahead of the season.
It was a successful return to the Royals for Jadeja, who struck twice in his opening over.
Samson, star of India’s T20 World Cup triumph, could not fire on his CSK debut. In an attempt to dispatch Nandre Burger over mid-wicket, he saw his off-stump getting dislodged with a sharp delivery that seamed away.
Both Nandre and Jofra Archer got the ball to talk in the powerplay.
After Nandre got rid of Samson, Archer sent back CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad who backed away to go for an aerial stroke on the off-side only to see his stumps rattled.
Burger was on a hat-trick in the second over after surprising Ayush Mhatre with a bouncer that kissed the batter’s gloves on way to the keeper.
Jadeja was introduced in the eighth over. He trapped Sarfaraz Khan (17 off 12) in front with the latter missing a slog sweep while another Indian World Cup star Shivam Dube (6 off 4) failed to clear long-off four balls later, leaving CSK at 57-6 in eight overs.
CSK could not find a way back from thereon despite a handy effort from Jamie Overton (43 off 36).
Royals’ medium pacer Brijesh Sharma dismissed Kartik Sharma on his debut.
Archer, Burger and Jadeja ended with couple of wickets each.
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