Written by: Khunulogo Mpolokeng
Fifteen-year-old opening batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi made light work of a modest Chennai Super Kings target of 128, as he thumped five sixes and four fours to score a quickfire 52 off 17 balls and inspire the Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable eight-wicket victory with 47 balls to spare in their Tata IPL 2026 opening match at the Barsapara Cricket Ground in Guwahati.
Suryavanshi - dropped by Kartik Sharma at deep midwicket off the first ball he faced, bowled by Matt Henry (3-0-40-0) - opened the batting with his captain Yashasvi Jaiswal (38*) in the run chase and the left-handed pair raced to their 50-run partnership at the end of the fifth over.
Six deliveries later and they had added 19 more, seeing the team to 74-0 at the end of the powerplay, as Jaiswal contributed three fours and a maximum of his own to score the final run that got the team over the line at the start of the 13th over.
Suryavanshi was eventually dismissed - caught by Impact substitute Sarfaraz Khan taking a forward-diving catch at deep cover off the bowling off Anshul Kamboj (3-0-27-2) in the seventh over.
But at that point the damage was already done, with the score on 75-1 and the home side needing just 53 to win in the more than 14 overs that remained.
1⃣5⃣-ball FIFTY🔥
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2026
That's the 3⃣rd joint-fastest half-century in #TATAIPL 👏👏
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi goes back for an entertaining 52(17) 👌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/UzbuFk5G26#KhelBindaas | #RRvCSK pic.twitter.com/NOgpUvNiwL
Suryavanshi was the talk of world cricket after making history in last year's Indian Premier League aged just 14 in a dazzling debut season which included a 35-ball century.
ROYALS BOWLERS ON SONG
Rajasthan had engineered the result in the first innings in which they bowled out CSK for a below-par 127 in 19.4 overs after winning the toss and opting to field on a quick, swinging wicket.
Left-arm pace bowler Nandre Burger (4-0-26-2), who took two wickets in two deliveries to dismiss opener Sanju Samson (6) and Ayush Mhadre (0) inside the powerplay, as well as Jofra Archer (4-0-19-2 ) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3-0-18-2) accounted for the bulk of the wickets with two scalps each.
𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 🎶
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2026
Nandre Burger 🤝 Jofra Archer #RR fans, how was that for a start? 😉
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/UzbuFk5G26#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvCSK | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/iqLU8yIgcX
The win takes the 2008 winners to two points, equal with the holders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Mumbai Indians, who also opened their accounts with wins in the first two matches of the 2026 edition of the competition.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rayan Parag (capt), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmeyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anjul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.
IMAGE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi © X (@IPL)