Ravindra Jadeja's explosive return to Rajasthan Royals, marked by a fiery performance and a memorable send-off, propelled his team to a commanding victory over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 opener.
Key Points
- Rajasthan Royals secured a dominant victory over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 opening match.
- Ravindra Jadeja made a significant impact with both bat and ball, including dismissing key CSK batsmen.
- Jadeja's aggressive 'firing-gun' send-off to Shivam Dube became a talking point of the match.
Rajasthan Royals kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a statement win, crushing five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in Guwahati.
The stars of the night were clear -- fiery spells from Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja, Nandre Burger, and a sensational half-century from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ensured RR never let CSK get comfortable.
But it was Jadeja who stole the spotlight in Rajasthan's IPL 2026 opener with a moment that will be replayed countless times.
Jadeja, back with the Royals, announced himself in spectacular fashion. In his very first over, he struck twice, sending back Sarfaraz Khan (17 off 12) LBW and then turning his attention to Shivam Dube.
Jadeja's Impactful Performance and Send-Off
Dube came out looking to attack, clearing the ropes once in his first over, but Jadeja had an answer ready. Mixing pace, subtle turn, and clever flight on the sticky Guwahati pitch, he forced Dube into a mistimed shot that flew straight to long-off.
As Dube walked back after scoring just 6 off 4 balls, Jadeja gave him a firing-gun send-off -- full of intensity and edge.
Speaking at the break, Jadeja joked about returning to Rajasthan Royals, 'I think pink looks good on me, I guess.'
On his duel with Dube, he said, 'I've known Shivam for a long time. I bowled outside off because I knew he would look to play big shots.'
Even with RR cruising in the chase, Jadeja stayed grounded, 'You 't take anything for granted in cricket -- you have to work hard, play your shots, and give your 100 per cent.”'
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Samson's Quiet Debut
While Jadeja dominated, Sanju Samson's debut for CSK against his former side was quiet. Opening the innings, he managed just 6 off 7 balls -- a rare subdued start that ended his streak of strong IPL openers since 2020.
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