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Sooryavanshi, Archer, Burger demolish Chennai Super Kings
New IPL season, new-look team, but same-old batting troubles for Chennai Super Kings [CSK].
On Monday, their powerplay score of 41 for 4 against Rajasthan Royals [RR] was straight out of 2025, when they had finished rock bottom in the league, before they were eventually bowled out for 127. That total then looked next to nothing when 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi, who is four years younger than the IPL itself, clattered a 15-ball half-century. RR razed the target down with eight wickets and almost as many overs to spare.
The Guwahati pitch was trickier to bat on in the early exchanges – it had spent considerable time under covers both on match day and match eve – and RR made excellent use of the dampness after winning a crucial toss and opting to bowl. Both Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger bowled Test-match lengths to wreck CSK’s top order. Ravindra Jadeja then marked his return to RR after 17 years with a double-wicket first over. Sooryavanshi then ripped up CSK’s attack, and the IPL record books.
It was Burger who made the opening breakthrough when he knocked Sanju Samson over in the second over. Burger bowled a perfectly pitched delivery – neither full or short – on a good length, and got it to seam away from over the wicket. Samson, who was shaping up for an inswinger, was made to look silly by the left-arm quick.
Ruturaj Gaikwad then exposed all his stumps, only to be bowled by a 143.3kph delivery from Archer. Both the CSK openers fell for 6 each, and the revamped middle order could not stop the rot.
CSK’s title-winning sides of old used to navigate such Test-match style passages of play with their all-format experience. But the team management has now pivoted to youth who tried to hit their way out of trouble, and wound up collapsing spectacularly.
Ayush Mhatre dared to hook a head-high bouncer, and was caught behind for a golden duck. Matthew Short, who got an opportunity in place of the injured Dewald Brevis, chipped a slower ball from Sandeep Sharma to midwicket to leave CSK at 38 for 4 in the sixth over.
That soon became 57 for 6 after Jadeja’s double-strike in his first over. The first wicket of Sarfaraz Khan had Jadeja written all over it. He speared in a fast, flat dart that thudded into Sarfaraz’s pads, and trapped him lbw for 17 off 12 balls. Sarfaraz had come in as CSK’s Impact Sub in their bat-first XI that had Noor Ahmad slotted in at No. 8. Had CSK fared better with the bat, they may have had the option of strengthening their bowling with the potential inclusion of Gurjapneet Singh or allrounder Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Shivam Dube came out attacking as well, launching his first ball for six over wide long-on. But Jadeja quickly shifted his lines wide of off and had Dube slicing a catch to wide long-off. Jadeja bared his emotions and gave his former team-mate a send-off. He finished with 2 for 18 in his three overs and later said “pink looks good on me” with a big smile on his face during the innings break.
At one point, CSK were in danger of being bowled out for a sub-100 total, but Jamie Overton’s 43 off 36 balls – he was the only CSK batter to pass 20 on the day – dragged them to 127. Overton added 33 with Anshul Kamboj, the highest ever for the last wicket for CSK.
CSK could’ve dismissed Sooryavanshi for a golden duck had debutant Kartik Sharma not dropped him in the first over of the chase. Matt Henry drew a mis-hit over midwicket with a hard-length delivery, but Kartik, who usually keeps wicket for Rajasthan, missed a difficult catch and parried it away to the boundary. What happened next ball? Sooryavanshi swatted it over wide long-on for the first of his five sixes.
The pick of Sooryavanshi’s sixes was a scythed hit off a slower ball from Henry in the third over. Henry took pace off and bowled a slower cutter wide of off, but Sooryavanshi powered it over deep point, one of the two fielders in the outfield, with his incredible bat speed and bat swing. He pressed on to bring up his fifty off 15 balls. Only four other players – his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Pat Cummins and Romario Shepherd – have hit quicker fifties in the IPL.
CSK cut Sooryavanshi’s innings short on 52 off 17 balls when Sarfaraz pulled off a superb diving catch at sweeper cover off Kamboj in the seventh over. Kamboj struck again in his next over to remove Dhruv Jurel, but Jaiswal (38*) and captain Riyan Parag (14*) completed RR’s demolition of CSK.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 128 for 2 in 12.1 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 52, Yashaswi Jaiswal 38*, Druv Jurel 18, Riyan Parag 14*; Anshul Kamboj 2-27) beat Chennai Super Kings 127 in 19.4 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 17, Kartik Sharma 18, Jamie Overton 43; Ravindra Jadeja 2-18, Jofra Archer 2-19, Nandre Burger 2-26, Brijesh Sharma 1-17, Sandeep Sharma 1-22, Ravi Bishnoi 1-16) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
South Africa successfully defended 136 in an 18-over game against Ireland in the Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up fixture in Loughborough . The experienced Marizanne Kapp led the way with the ball, her 4 for 24 helping South Africa dismiss Ireland for 120 in 17.4 overs. Shabnim Ismail, who had recently reversed her retirement, picked up 1 for 25 in her four overs.
Leah Paul was the only Ireland batter to pass 20 in their chase. Apart from Paul, only four Ireland batters got to double figures.
After South Africa were asked to bat first, they posted 136 for 8 on the back of captain Laura Wolvaardt’s 65 off 37 balls, including seven fours and three sixes.
SCORES:
South Africa Women 136 for 8 in 18 overs (Sune Luus 17, Laura Wolvaardt 65, Annerie Dercksen 26, Nadine de Klerk 11, Aimee Maguire 1-13, Arlene Kelly 3-29, Cara Murray 2-13, Ava Canning 2-08) beat Ireland Women 120 in 17.4 overs (Rebecca Stockel 19, Leah Paul 29, Alice Tector 17, Louise Little 13, Arlene Kelly 15; Marizanne Kapp 4-24, Shabnim Ismail 1-25, Tumi Sekhukhune 2-18, Nadine de Klerk 1-16, Nonkululeko Mlaba 1-25) by 16 runs
(Crickinfo)
In the 11th over, KL Rahul edged a cut to the keeper off Ziaur Ahmed when he was on 16. Afghanistan did not review the not-out decision. In the 61st over, Rahul flicked a full ball off his pads, bringing up a gritty century – his 12th in Test cricket. Afghanistan’s bowling attack had been worn down in the intervening period. They could not cash in on their half-chances aplenty, in their first Test against India since their format debut in 2018. Instead, Rahul – alongside a regal Shubman Gill – headlined India’s march to 368 for 3 on day one in New Chandigarh.
The city was hosting a men’s Test for the first time. Temperatures soared up to 40 degrees Celsius, and India captain Gill opted to bat first, expecting the pitch to worsen as time wore on in the match. However, Afghanistan’s new-ball bowlers – Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohamed Saleem – extracted uneven bounce off the pitch right away. They kept bowling back-of-a-length deliveries to Jaiswal and Rahul, moving the ball away from the openers.
Rahul reached for deliveries far from his body early in the day, often mistiming his shots. He ambled away to 16 off 34 by the end of the 10th over. At the other end, Jaiswal pounced on fuller deliveries with more regularity to race to 20 off 26.
Then, in the 11th over off Ziaur, Rahul slashed at a wide delivery and both bowler and keeper went up with a big appeal. However, they opted out of the review. Replays later showed Rahul had edged the delivery. Rahul rode his luck thereafter, leaving balls outside off, and dead-batting fuller ones that gripped in the pitch.
In the next over – the 12th – Jaiswal leaned into a front-foot drive off Mohammad Saleem. Then he jumped at an inswinger drifting down leg, and tried to flick it off his hips. He edged it to the keeper instead. Against the run of play, Jaiswal departed for a 32-ball 24, giving Saleem his maiden Test wicket.
Soon after, the new-ball swing dissipated and the bounce became less treacherous. B Sai Sudarshan made full use of this period of play at the back end of Saleem and Omarzai’s extended spells. He laced three fours in his first 15 deliveries.
In the 35th over off Ziaur, Sai Sudharsan stepped out of his crease for a tentative defense outside off. His edge dissected the wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai and first slip. Eight overs later, with Sai Sudharsan looking set for his maiden Test century, the batter played an expansive drive outside off against Saleem. Once more, the ball flew into the slip cordon, but was snared by Zazai with a one-handed stunner to his right. Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for 81. The second-wicket partnership was aborted at 131, with Rahul still steady at the other end.
As the day wore on, the New Chandigarh surface began gripping and turning more. Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was their most effective spinner. He bowled slowly, often keeping his speeds under 80 kph, and used drift to troublealla batters. Still, he never induced any real chances, with edges off him flying past short leg or the keeper.
From the other end, debutant Nangeyalia Kharote induced a thin edge off Sai Sudharsan with just his fourth delivery. Rahmanullah Gurbaz dropped the consequent one-hander, diving to his right at first slip. On his return spell, Kharote – as well as part-timer Abdul Malik – both strayed into leg-stump lines too often.
With Afghanistan’s fast bowlers erring in discipline too, Gill took full toll on them, especially after the tea break. If Rahul’s knock was a product of battling against the early swing and seam, Gill’s imperious century – his 11th in the format – was aided by a worn-down attack. Still, he pounced on good-length deliveries outside off as he unfurled his drives, and cut close to his body, in trademark fashion to rack up 11 fours and one six.
Gill had Rahul for company through the beginning of his knock, during a 67-run partnership for the third wicket. However, just one delivery after bringing up his century, Rahul perished for the third time in Test cricket on exactly a 100 – the joint-second most times in Test cricket, right behind England’s Len Hutton (4). Rahul had been out playing a loose waft away from his body, off Ziaur, straight to short extra cover.
Once Rishabh Pant walked out to join Gill, the brief was clear: by their standards, India had already shut up shop for the final hour of play. An unusually restrained Pant, also playing his 50th Test for India, batted within his means until his eyes lit up against offspinner Abdul Malik in the 68th over. He took advantage of half-trackers to flat-bat three sixes in trademark Pant style. Tellingly, these would also be Pant’s only sixes of the evening.
Gill brought up his century just a few minutes before close of play, off a flick to square leg, in the 83rd over off Saleem. Afghanistan had opted not to choose the new ball, bowling through till the close of play with a battered ball. Pant manipulated a thinly spread leg-side field in these final overs to bring up his own fifty off 70 balls, on the penultimate delivery of the day’s play.
SCORES:
India 368 for 3 in 85 overs (Shubman Gill 103*, KL Rahul 100, B Sai Sudharsan 81, Rishabh Pant 50*; MohaSaleem 2-67) vs Afghanistan
(Cricinfo)
West Indies won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat, but that was the extent of the action from thesecod ODI at Sabina Park, as persistent rain put an end to proceedings before they had even begun.
The washout means West Indies’ hopes of winning the series are wiped out, but they can still draw level in the final game on Monday. Perhaps more importantly, a win there will give the hosts a much needed rankings boost, with qualification for next year’s World Cup hinging on their final position come March next year.
The toss itself had been delayed by 30 minutes following rain earlier in the day, and it was the possibility of rain intervening later on that had influenced Shai Hope’s decision to field first.
Both teams had also made changes, with Amir Jangoo due to get a game for the injured Matthew Forde, while Eshan Malinga had been drafted in for Asitha Fernando. Shai Hope, playing his 150th ODI for West Indies, received a special jersey before rain came along.
(Cricinfo)
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