Guwahati, Mar 30 (PTI) Rajasthan Royals made good use of the overhead conditions to bowl out a sluggish Chennai Super Kings for 127 in their Indian Premier League opener here on Monday.
It was a forgettable batting performance for CSK, who were put in to bat by Riyan Parag considering the pitch had been under cover for a while due to rain.
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-stumped 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 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. PTI BS APA APA
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