IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals outplayed us’: CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on their Indian Premier League opener


IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals outplayed us’: CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on their Indian Premier League opener

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey at a pre-season fan event, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on March 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey admitted his side was outplayed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener on Monday (March 30, 2026) in Guwahati. He noted that the pitch, which had been under covers, offered early movement that CSK’s batters struggled to adapt to.

Hussey, however, remains optimistic, expecting significantly improved batting performances going forward in the tournament.

Fiery bowling spells from Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja and Nandre Burger and a sensational half-century from Vaibhav Suryavanshi helped RR to an eight-wicket win over five-time champions CSK. “They outplayed us today, but I think it was a good toss to win, definitely. The pitch had been under cover for a long time. There was certainly some movement early, and our batsmen probably struggled to adjust to that movement. I’d expect much better batting performances in the future, especially if the pitches are a bit flatter,” Hussey told the reporters after the match.

He also said the team must learn to adapt better when conditions aren’t ideal for batting, adjusting their approach and scoring areas instead of sticking to a fixed game plan.

The batting coach stressed the importance of taking key lessons from the match to improve flexibility and decision-making in future games.”We need to take the lessons from this game that if the conditions aren’t perfect, maybe we need to adjust our sights a little bit and try to score our runs in different areas. So we’ll definitely take a few learnings from it. We want to try and put this one behind us pretty quickly and move on back to Chennai,” he added.

RR opted to bowl first, and Archer (2/19), Burger (2/26) and Jadeja (2/18) made CSK toil hard for every run as they sank to 57/6 at one point.

Knocks from Jamie Overton (43 in 36 balls, with two fours and two sixes), Kartik Sharma (18), Sarfaraz Khan (17) helped CSK reach 127 in 19.4 overs before they ran out of batters. Suryavanshi (52 in 17 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (38* in 36 balls, with three fours and a six) set up a platform for an easy win with a quickfire 75-run stand. (ANI)


‘To be continued … ‘: Ravindra Jadeja reveals story behind ‘gun’ celebration vs CSK | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘To be continued … ‘: Ravindra Jadeja reveals story behind ‘gun’ celebration vs CSK | Cricket News – The Times of India
Ravindra Jadeja (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign in dominant fashion, registering a crushing eight-wicket win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday.During the high-intensity clash, among several key moments, one that stood out was Ravindra Jadeja’s animated celebration after taking a wicket.

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Jadeja, after dismissing a CSK all-rounder, came up with a ‘gun’ celebration.After Rajasthan Royals’ win, former India cricketers Suresh Raina and Anil Kumble, part of the expert panel on JioStar, asked Jadeja if this was a new celebration.“Jadeja, ye naya aaya hai market mein?” the experts asked.To this, Jadeja said: “Ye mai CSK se jab khela karta tha, tab mai ye celebration karta tha. Maine socha to be continued karein”.“Dube ka mujhe pata tha wo spinners ko pehle ball se maarne ko sochta hai. Wo mere dimaag mein kahin na kahin tha but at the same time wo bhi soch rha tha ki agar uska wicket gya to CSK ka middle order khali ho jayega. Positive mindset se ball daalne ka soch rha tha mai bass,” he said.Jadeja also reflected on an emotional outing against his former team Chennai Super Kings.“I’m liking the pink colour. The yellow had started to feel a bit old, but I’m just joking. Obviously, leaving a franchise like CSK, where I had played for 12-13 years, was a little difficult initially. It was very emotional. But I told myself that changes like these are also part of the journey. The good thing was that I’m now with the team where I had first won an IPL title,” Jadeja said.“That memory has always stayed with me, that after the Under-19 World Cup, I started my IPL career there and won the title in my very first season. I have carried those memories along with a positive mindset, and my aim is to learn as much as I can with the new group and also share my experience with the team,” he added.Jadeja’s impact was felt with the ball as RR bundled CSK out for 127, setting up a comfortable chase that was headlined by a blistering knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.“The wicket was a bit sticky, so it suited my kind of bowling. My job was simply to bowl in the right areas. When you hit the right areas on a wicket that is holding up slightly, the ball tends to grip and come slower, which feels good as a bowler. Getting such a surface to bowl on in the very first match boosts your confidence as a bowler.“I was thinking of bowling it at the stumps, as I wanted to take a chance in case he didn’t middle it. But when he hit me for a six, I quickly changed my strategy to bowling wide, as he would have kept hitting me on a straight line. So, I decided to finish on the fifth-sixth-stump line, thinking that if he went across, he might not get his timing right, and that’s what happened. Luckily, he did not get the elevation he was looking for, and it was a big wicket for us.Rajasthan Royals will now face Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on April 4.


Did Ravindra Jadeja get emotional and cry on the field vs CSK? Viral video leaves fans guessing | Cricket News – The Times of India


Did Ravindra Jadeja get emotional and cry on the field vs CSK? Viral video leaves fans guessing | Cricket News – The Times of India
Ravindra Jadeja (Image credit: RR/IPL)

NEW DELHI: The emotions were clearly visible on Ravindra Jadeja’s face when he took the field for Rajasthan Royals against his former team Chennai Super Kings on Monday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. The moment seemed to overwhelm Jadeja, who was seen in tears while fielding near the boundary ropes, with CSK struggling at 60/6 in the ninth over and chants of “CSK, CSK” echoing around the stadium. The cameras captured a tearful Jadeja in close frames, and the video quickly went viral.Jadeja, who was part of Rajasthan Royals’ 2008 IPL title-winning side, joined CSK in 2012 and went on to become an integral part of the MS Dhoni-led team. He played a key role in CSK’s title wins in 2018, 2021 and 2023.Ahead of the 2026 season, Jadeja returned to Rajasthan Royals through a trade deal with CSK.Facing his former team, where he spent over a decade, made the occasion an emotional one for Jadeja.He marked his return to Rajasthan Royals colours after 17 years with a double-wicket burst against CSK.

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Jadeja’s figures of 2/18 helped RR tighten their grip on the game after Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger had rocked CSK early.His dismissals of impact substitute Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube proved crucial as RR bowled out the five-time champions for 127. Jadeja also gave Dube a fiery send-off during the match.

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RR chased down the target in just 12.1 overs.“I think pink looks good on me, I guess. I’ve known Shivam Dube for a long time – I’ve bowled to him in the nets, so I understand how he approaches spinners. I was prepared for that and tried to bowl outside off, because I knew he would look to play big shots against me,” said Jadeja in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.