Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings have struggled from the start. They were defeated by Rajasthan in the first match of the current IPL season. Chennai’s defeat, which was played without MS Dhoni, has been a topic of discussion. Chennai failed to score big in the first match. After the defeat, captain Poojaraj Gayawar expressed his dissatisfaction and blamed the batter. He scored just 6 runs in 11 balls in this match and fell victim to Archer.
After the match, captain Poojaraj said in disappointment, “To be honest, I felt that the situation was very difficult in the beginning. Especially facing Jofra Archer and Nandre Berger. They bowled very well. It was a bit difficult for the bowlers at medium pace. The spinners also seemed to get some help. We could have batted better. We could have taken the game further, showing some batting skills. Maybe we could have taken the score to 150-160. But it’s not a good score; we have to go further. I think it was one of those days when the wicket was difficult.” Captain Pooja Raj added, “When you take the game forward for 20 overs, you score 150, 160, or 170. I think it’s just about believing in yourself, believing in the game as a batsman. If you have that in you, then you can definitely bat well. You just have to be positive. It didn’t work today.
The toss win proved to be a boon for Rajasthan Royals. The Super Kings batting department, playing without the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dewald Brevis, was not weak. However, the Super Kings failed to cope with the lethal bowling of Rajasthan Royals. The Super Kings were all out for 127 runs in 19.4 overs. In reply, Rajasthan Royals scored the required runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 12.1 overs.
