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Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and decided to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in their opening Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash.

High buzz around RR vs CSK clash

There is plenty of excitement around this contest as both franchises were involved in some high-profile trade moves ahead of the season. With fresh combinations and new faces in both camps, this game already carries an edge even before the first ball is bowled.

Chennai Super Kings will be without MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis and Nathan Ellis, which comes as a massive blow to the side. Ellis has been ruled out of the entire IPL season, adding to their concerns. CSK will be looking to adjust quickly and find the right balance despite these setbacks.

For Rajasthan Royals, this marks the beginning of a new era under the leadership of Riyan Parag. Without Sanju Samson, it will be really interesting to see how they approach this phase and handle the challenges going forward.

Team news

Rajasthan Royals are going with a strong XI with not much of surprises in their lineup. One of the key highlights is the debut of Brijesh Sharma, with the right arm pacer set to play his first game for the franchise. The Royals have also opted for a pace-heavy approach with Nandre Burger and Jofra Archer leading the fast-bowling attack.

Chennai Super Kings have made a notable inclusion by bringing in Kartik Sharma into the XI. The young wicketkeeper batter was bought for INR 14.2 crore in the auction and it will be interesting to see how he adapts at this level.

In the absence of Dewald Brevis, CSK have included Matthew Short. The Australian batter is known for his aggressive approach and ability to score quickly, which could be crucial for CSK in this game.

Playing XIs

Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed

RR vs CSK Live Score IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals to bowl first; Sarfaraz Khan, Prashant Veer miss out for Chennai