In a one-sided season opener at the MCA Stadium, the Rajasthan Royals cruised to a 61-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chasing a massive 211, the Sunrisers were held to 149/7 after 20 overs. RR's bowlers dominated early on, putting the batting side under immediate pressure by wiping out the top order. While Aiden Markram fought a lonely fight with an unbeaten 57, Yuzvendra Chahal proved to be the most effective bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 3/22.
Winning the toss and batting first, RR got off to a flyer thanks to Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who added 58 runs in quick time. Jaiswal departed for 20 via Romario Shepherd, and soon after, Umran Malik took the wicket of Buttler, who had scored 35. The momentum shifted to captain Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal, who built a strong 73-run stand for the third wicket.
Sanju Samson played with absolute grace, hitting a half-century with a display of pure class. However, the partnership ended when Malik bowled Padikkal for 41, and shortly after, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed the dangerous Samson. The innings ended on a high note as Shimron Hetmyer blasted 32 runs from just 13 balls, helping the Royals reach a formidable 210/6.
The Sunrisers' chase started disastrously as Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna tore apart the top order. Captain Kane Williamson fell for just 2, while Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran both went out for ducks. The collapse was only slowed down by Markram and Shepherd, who managed a 41-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Despite the resistance, Chahal eventually got rid of Shepherd for 24. Washington Sundar joined Markram for a late-game surge, adding 55 runs to the total. Sundar played a blistering knock of 40 from 14 deliveries, but it wasn't enough to bridge the gap to the target.