IPL 2026: RR vs CSK Highlights, Match 3 - Stats, Player of the Match & More
Nandre Burger (Source: X/@IPL)
Published - 30 Mar 2026, 07:40 PM• Read time - 6 mins
Match Overview
Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locked horns in the third match of IPL 2026 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday, March 30. RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and elected to bowl first to utilise the moisture in the air.
As was announced earlier, MS Dhoni did miss the game today. Notably, the last time CSK were Dhoni-less in a match was 2530 days ago. Moreover, it was also the first occasion when CSK fielded a XI which did not comprise either Dhoni or Suresh Raina.
The new CSK opening pair of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson (6 off 7) had a forgettable first outing. Nandre Burger knocked down Samson's off stump in the second over while Jofra Archer clean bowled Gaikwad (6 off 11) in the next over, leaving CSK 19/2 after the third over. Burger was not done yet as the South African pacer dismissed Ayush Mhatre for a golden duck off the next ball of the innings.
Sarfaraz Khan counterattacked in the company of Matthew Short (2 off 7) and debutant Kartik Sharma (18 off 15) subsequently, but his innings did not last long either as the right-hander was dismissed for 17(12). CSK found themselves at 70/6 at the halfway mark as the innings seemed to go nowhere for them.
The procession continued as the lower order came and went back to the pavilion soon without adding much to the total. However, Jamie Overton (43 off 36) came to CSK's rescue as the Englishman formed a much-needed 10th wicket partnership of 33 runs off 26 balls with Anshul Kamboj (7* off 10). The Men in Yellow ended up at a respectable 127 all out as all the RR bowlers registered at least a wicket.
Irrespective of how big or low a target is, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi does not need an invitation to go after every ball. The teenage prodigy went after the bowling straight away while his partner Yashasvi Jaiswal played second fiddle. The 15-year-old stroked the ball cleanly towards various parts of the ground and in no time the result of the game looked sealed.
Sooryavanshi blitzed to his second IPL fifty in just 15 balls in the sixth over with RR ending the powerplay at 74 for no loss. However, the Bihar boy was dismissed soon after for 52(17) as Sarfaraz took a brilliant catch at deep cover. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel joined Jaiswal in the middle as the duo put on a 24-run 13-ball stand before the former was sent back for 18(9).
There was not much left in the game as skipper Parag (14* off 11) and Jaiswal (38* off 36) took the team home with eight wickets and 47 balls remaining. Notably, it was the second-biggest loss for CSK in terms of balls remaining.
Top run-scorer of the match
|
Player |
Team |
Runs |
Balls |
Fours |
Sixes |
Strike Rate |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi |
RR |
52 |
17 |
4 |
5 |
305.88 |
Top wicket-taker of the match
|
Player |
Team |
Overs |
Maidens |
Runs |
Wickets |
Economy |
| Jofra Archer |
RR |
4 |
0 |
19 |
2 |
4.75 |
Player of the Match
Nandre Burger
The left-arm speedster broke the back of the young CSK line-up with his twin strikes of Samson and Mhatre off his successive deliveries. The conditions early on were suitable for the pacers and the South African utilised them to drive his team into an advantageous position, ending up with figures of 4-0-26-2.
Turning Point
The triple strikes of Samson, Gaikwad, and Mhatre by Burger and Archer deflated the morale of the Men in Yellow. It was catch-up cricket for the batting team after that as the Royals were confidently pushing forward.
What the captains said
Winning Team Captain, Riyan Parag (RR)
"Got lucky with the toss. It was a red-soil wicket with rain. Bowlers executed it well. Lot of prep has gone into captaincy, the goal is to win the trophy. Lot of time to planning, strategising. We want to play smart cricket and adapt, we did that today. All bowlers did well, quicks were rapid. Guwahati suited Jaddu bhai. I tell Vaibhav you play 14 games, what goes on in the game and media shouldn't bother you. I tell the coaches to let him play as long. We were in awe watching him in the nets. This is the batting order, Dhruv at 3, Hettie at 5, we need left-right combo. Hope to win a few more with the line-up."
Losing Team Captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)
"Felt the conditions at the start were tough, especially against Jofra. It was tough against medium pacers, spinners were getting assistance as well. Maybe we could've batted deeper but you never know a good score these days so had to keep going. You just put it behind and move on. Next game in three days. Lots of youngsters in the group, nervy start but good to get a game behind. I'm not a firm believer of going all out all the way, but you don't know the par score with the impact player, 150-170 is chased down easily."
